Budget Crusader Ryan Stays Silent in Fiscal Showdown With Obama
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As many U.S. House Republicans abandoned longstanding anti-tax and spending principles to back a bill designed to head off an economic crisis, one voice was virtually silent: Paul Ryan, the 2012 vice presidential nominee.
The House Budget Committee chairman who rose to prominence on a singular issue -- slashing federal spending -- hardly spoke out at party meetings or in public as it became clear that, after the Nov. 6 election, he was in a losing battle to champion his budget-cutting doctrine, according to several Republicans.