House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pushed back on the idea that the new tax plan will increase the deficit.
“There’s two things you gotta do to get the deficit. You’ve got to grow the economy. You got to control spending,” Mr. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, said in an interview with NPR that aired Friday.
He said that while spending still needs to be dealt with, the growth issue will be addressed in this new plan.
“We’ve got to get back to controlling spending, but if we don’t pass this tax law, we will not get the kind of economic growth we can get in this country,” Mr. Ryan explained.
The House and Senate versions of the Republican tax plan have been widely criticized for cutting revenue and adding to the deficit, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office.
On the issue of sexual harassment, Mr. Ryan said that he is working on updating the laws on how Congress handles such issues within its offices, but declined to go into specifics on how widespread he believes the problem to be.
He also said he couldn’t comment on previous accusations made against President Trump, adding that while the president is “unconventional,” he was elected.
“Would I do things differently? Of course. But he’s — he’s himself, I’m myself, and he got elected. And you know what? My duty as a constitutional officer, as a representative of Congress is to make government work,” Mr. Ryan said referring to how Mr. Trump handles himself.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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