Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Monday announced the launch of the American Idea Foundation — a new nonprofit group focused on growing economic opportunity and fighting poverty using “evidence-based” policy prescriptions.
“The American idea means the condition of your birth does not determine the outcome of your life, and I am excited this Foundation will educate individuals about solutions and efforts that give more people the opportunity to realize their versions of the American Dream,” Ryan said in a statement. “The American Idea Foundation will demonstrate that it is bottom-up dynamism of individuals and communities that truly makes America a land of prosperity.”
I’m excited to launch the American Idea Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit that will work with individuals, grassroots organizations, and lawmakers to expand economic opportunities through evidence-based policies. Learn more about our work here: https://t.co/xx8gubltB2
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) October 28, 2019
The 501(c)(3) group will have an office in the former lawmaker’s hometown, Janesville, Wisconsin.
The group’s formation comes after Ryan reportedly moved his from Janesville to Washington, D.C., over the summer. At the time, political observers said the move represented a significant shift for Ryan, who for years resisted moving his family to the Swamp, instead opting to fly home on weekends.
Ryan retired from the House in January after serving three years as speaker. Under his watch, the Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 midterm election.
Since leaving Congress, Ryan has joined Fox Corp. as a member of its board of directors and joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame.
Ryan made headlines in recent months for trashing President Donald Trump’s approach to governing and taking particular umbrage with the president’s nickname for pornstar Stormy Daniels.
“We’ve gotten so numbed by it all,” Ryan told American Carnage author Tim Alberta. “Not in government, but where we live our lives, we have a responsibility to try and rebuild. Don’t call a woman a ‘horse face.’ Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t cheat on anything. Be a good person. Set a good example.”
“I told myself I gotta have a relationship with this guy to help him get his mind right,” he added. “Because, I’m telling you, he didn’t know anything about government… I wanted to scold him all the time.
President Trump hit back at Ryan’s remarks, calling him “the failed V.P. candidate” and a “lame duck failure.”
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