Lawmakers Question How Long Paul Ryan Will Stay in Post After Likely Tax Overhaul

Many Republicans consider the tax-code rewrite, expected to pass, a legacy accomplishment

.. Trump called Mr. Ryan Thursday and “made sure the speaker knew very clearly and in no uncertain terms, that if the news was true, he was very unhappy with it.”

.. Mr. Ryan himself on Thursday listed two major legislative campaigns he said were necessary to reduce the federal debt. One, he said, is

  1. the tax-code overhaul lawmakers are on the verge of finishing. The second is
  2. a push to overhaul federal safety-net programs to incentivize more people to work, which he intends to spearhead early next year.

.. “Next year is going to be the year where we work on people,” Mr. Ryan told reporters Thursday.

.. Many House GOP lawmakers and aides believe Mr. Ryan will leave in 2019 if the GOP loses its control of the House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

..  If he intends to run for president in the future, his next career move will have to keep him connected to the political realm, GOP strategists said.

..  I think he would need to stay in office for at least a few more years just to remain relevant.”

.. House Republicans said they wouldn’t be surprised to see Mr. Ryan assume a senior role at a conservative think tank at some point.  “He is a policy guy,” Mr. Ross said, “through and through.”