U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) (R) arrives to hold a committtee hearing on the topic of U.S. economic growth at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 13, 2015.
U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) (R) arrives to hold a committtee hearing on the topic of U.S. economic growth at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 13, 2015.
The head of a House of Representatives panel responsible for trade said on Thursday he is “reasonably optimistic” about the outlook for legislation to streamline the passage of trade deals through Congress and expects the bill to pass. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican, said support from Democrats would be needed but he did not think lawmakers would allow a proposal put forward by a Democratic president to fail. “I feel reasonably optimistic,” Ryan said at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. No date has been set yet for a House vote.