WASHINGTON _ Speaker Paul D. Ryan thinks he's lived up to his promise to open up debate on legislation and restore so-called regular order in the House, blaming the rushed process on the fiscal 2018 omnibus on Democrats, deadlines and a funeral.
"By and large we've done a phenomenal job," the Wisconsin Republican said when asked if he feels he's delivered on the promises he made to House Republicans when taking over as speaker in 2015.
Many House Republicans, particularly conservatives in the Freedom Caucus, disagree.
Thursday's vote on the $1.3 trillion fiscal 2018 omnibus is representative of everything Ryan said he wouldn't do as speaker.
The roughly 2200-page bill was filed Wednesday around 8 p.m. and the House is set to vote on it shortly after noon Thursday, giving members virtually no time to read or digest it.
The rule on the measure prevented amendments from being offered and allowed for a single hour of debate for both parties to divide equally.
Ryan said negotiations on the omnibus took longer than GOP leaders wanted because they had to work with Democrats. As part of a claim to an open process, he cited the House Appropriations Committee's hearings and markups on its bills that helped shape the final measure.
Another scapegoat Ryan used for rushing the bill to the floor was the self-imposed March 23 funding deadline they were up against _ something everyone has been aware of for nearly five weeks, since the latest continuing resolution was agreed to.
Ryan dodged a question on why GOP leaders didn't just pass another short-term continuing resolution to give members more time to read the omnibus, again citing the deadline, as well as the death of New York Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter.
"We have a member who passed away whose funeral is tomorrow and we want to be sensitive to that as well," he said.
Dozens of members are expected to travel to Rochester, N.Y. for Slaughter's funeral Friday.
