After the House overwhelmingly elected Paul Ryan to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner Thursday, the Wisconsin lawmaker began his term with an act of grace.
On Thursday, Ryan called for reconciliation among warring factions and backed it up with a promise.
“Let’s be frank: The House is broken,” he told the congressional body. “We are not solving problems. We are adding to them. And I am not interested in laying blame. We are not settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean.”
Ryan, a Catholic, also called on House members to pray for each other.
Specifically, he admonished both Democrats and Republicans to pray to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s party.
“…This begins a new day in the House of Representatives,” Ryan said as he thanked fellow Republicans and promised the House will look different under his leadership.
“We are turning the page,” Ryan said. “We are not going to have a House that looks like it’s looked the last few years. We are going to move forward; we are going to unify. Our party lost its vision, and we are going to replace it with a vision.”
