House Republicans Unveil National Security Blueprint as GOP Struggles With Trump's Proposals
Speaker Paul Ryan laid out the foreign policy portion of the House GOP agenda.
— -- House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican leaders released Thursday the national security plank of their election-year agenda, as the party works to unite behind presumptive nominee Donald Trump and his campaign.
The plan is a broad critique of President Obama’s foreign policy -- including his outreach to Cuba and the Iran nuclear deal -- and calls for securing the border, enhancing the country’s cyber defenses and implementing an aggressive counter-terror strategy to improve national security.
"[President Obama] created many voids around the world," Ryan said at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And now our enemies are fulling those voids."
Even as many Republicans have clashed with Trump over his controversial comments about a federal judge presiding over a lawsuit concerning his defunct Trump University, the report acknowledges Trump’s foreign policy and national security vision without including his most divisive proposals.
On trade, a cornerstone of Trump’s campaign, the report calls for deals that “level the playing field for America’s workers and businesses.” Trump wants to renegotiate the country’s trade deals, a point of contention with Ryan, a free-trade advocate.
“Deals that do not meet this standard are unacceptable,” the report reads.
On immigration, Trump has called for a border wall paid for by Mexico, while the report only references a border fence as part of a “strong, multilayered approach” to immigration.
In a clear contrast with Trump, who has questioned the NATO alliance, the report calls for “modernizing and solidifying NATO.” It also encourages U.S. allies to increase their own defense spending.
Ryan and Trump have spoken about the agenda project, and their staffs have been in constant communication about the blueprint ahead of its release.
The Wisconsin Republican has made it clear he’s endorsing Trump despite previous hesitations.
"We have more common ground on the policy issues of the day, and we have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than with her," Ryan said on Tuesday.
After calling Trump’s comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel the “textbook definition” of racism, Ryan also acknowledged that Trump’s comments undercut the entire project.
“I do think these kinds of comments undercut these things, I'm not even going to pretend to defend them. I'm going to defend our ideas,” Ryan said.
