Rep. Mo Brooks said Monday that he will continue to support House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, despite the latest budget deal, unless a better alternative comes along.
“It’s about a comparison. You’ve got to have alternatives and Paul Ryan is it, and he’s got a very difficult situation interacting with this White House, this Senate and all the different groups of congressmen in the House of Representatives,” Mr. Brooks, Alabama Republican, said on CNN.
He was one of the House Republicans who did not support the latest budget deal due to his concern over the deficit and the debt. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the deal includes $320 billion in deficit spending. Mr. Ryan pushed the deal through, saying much of that was due to mandatory spending on entitlements and not the additional earmarks in the bill.
“Do I have reservations about busting through the spending caps last week in nondefense matters? Absolutely,” Mr. Brooks said.
“It passed. I wish it hadn’t. We are where we are,” he said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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