Virginia — Anna Scholl, Executive Director of Progress Virginia and member of the For Our Families steering committee, released the following statement after House Speaker Paul Ryan announced his retirement from Congress:

“Virginia families should feel relieved that Speaker Ryan is stepping down as the leader of Republicans in Congress. Over the course of his career, he made it his top priority to shred the social safety net that Virginia families rely on. It is a great day for any Virginian who receives Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits, or who has benefited from the Affordable Care Act, or loves someone who has. That Congressman Ryan failed to eliminate the very programs that help our communities and families thrive is a win for working people.

It is interesting to note that Congressman Ryan would rather abandon his lifelong career in politics than face the voters after he repeatedly tried to gut the Affordable Care Act and succeeded in passing the potentially disastrous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans. We encourage his fellow Republicans – including Congressman Scott Taylor – to follow his lead.”