After he managed to win support from his warring caucus, the full House is expected to elect Ryan as speaker on Thursday. But he won't have much time to celebrate, because he will immediately confront a series of divisive issues that could undermine his hold on the speakership just as he reaches the pinnacle of his career.

"Paul has monumental obstacles," said Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona.

At the heart of the list: fiscal fights that have badly divided the GOP since it took control of the House in the 2010 elections. Congress must raise the national borrowing ceiling -- or risk the first-ever default on U.S. debt -- by November 3 and then pivot to a high-stakes debate over funding the government the following month.

The outgoing speaker, John Boehner of Ohio, is trying to take the debt limit off the table for Ryan, but he's running into familiar obstacles that could force the Wisconsin Republican to deal with the matter after he takes the top job.

Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power The current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin. He gained his power from his predecessor, former Speaker John Boehner, after the Ohio Republican shocked the political world by deciding to vacate his position. Click through for other recent speakers: Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Former Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, gained his power from his predecessor, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when the GOP gained the majority of seats in the House in the 2010 midterm elections. Boehner announced his intention to leave the position in September 2015, and Paul Ryan succeeded him in October. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi was the first and only female speaker of the House. Her speakership lasted from January 4, 2007, to January 3, 2011. Pelosi, a Democrat, lost her seat to the Republican majority in the 2010 midterms. John Boehner took the gavel. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Dennis Hastert remains the longest serving Republican speaker in history, from January 6, 1999, to January 3, 2007. However, the GOP lost its majority in the House of Representatives, leaving Democrat Nancy Pelosi to become speaker. On Thursday, May 28, Hastert was accused in an indictment of lying to the FBI and evading currency reporting requirements as he sought to pay off a subject to "cover up past misconduct." On Thursday, October 28, Hastert pleaded guilty in the case. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Newt Gingrich broke the four-decade line of Democratic speakers by becoming speaker from 1995 to 1999 and was named Man of the Year by Time magazine for the accomplishment. He then fell from grace after a disappointing 1998 midterm election for the GOP, prompting him to step down from both the speakership and Congress. Gingrich's resignations came as a complete surprise to many, as the speaker had been fighting to keep his top job until the announcement. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Tom Foley, a Democrat who represented Washington state in the House for 30 years, took over the office of the speaker after the resignation of Jim Wright. Foley served as speaker from 1989 to January 1995 but was defeated in the 1994 election by George Nethercutt. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power Jim Wright of Texas served two years as speaker, after Massachusetts Democrat Tip O'Neill retired. But he stepped down in 1989 after facing a House Ethics Committee investigation on improprieties with the sale of his book and fees from speaking engagements. He was the first speaker to resign in the face of a scandal. He died on May 6, 2015, at 92. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: The hand-off: How Speakers Ryan to O'Neill came to power A Massachusetts Democrat who served as speaker from 1977 until retirement in 1987, Tip O'Neill was well-known for his deal-making as well as his collegiality with former President Ronald Reagan. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi thought to commemorate the 34-year congressional career of O'Neill with an office building on the edge of Capitol Hill that bears his name. O'Neill was the longest continuously serving House speaker of any party in U.S. history. Hide Caption 8 of 8

"If you think about what the debt is -- it's what happened in the past -- so I think that the speaker is trying to clean that up for before he leaves," Republican Rep. Tom Rooney of Florida told reporters, but he admitted that might not be possible with time running out before Boehner's last day at the end of this week.

And Ryan will soon command the lead House GOP role in budget talks with the White House -- a discussion centered on raising domestic and defense spending by roughly $76 billion, and one bound to anger the same conservatives the likely new speaker wooed last week. President Barack Obama and Democrats on the Hill are insisting that any increase in national security spending be matched dollar for dollar with more money for domestic programs.

But a deal with the White House could undermine the pledge Ryan has privately been making: that he would restore "regular order" and let congressional committees drive policy -- not the speaker's office.

Rep. Mark Sanford, a South Carolina Republican and member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told CNN that if Ryan agrees to get rid of budget caps it will be a "mixed bag" since it will please defense hawks but anger small-government conservatives.

"I suspect it would stir up the rank and file. And when you get the rank and file at the grass-roots level, other folks get stirred up within the conference," Sanford said.

Sources familiar with the leadership discussions with the White House say there remains a possibility of a deal to scrap the automatic cuts known as sequestration for one year, but the two sides still are not in agreement over how to pay for the spending increases.

Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Rep. Paul Ryan, R.-Wisconsin, was elected the 54th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, October 29, after receiving the votes of 236 members. The vote was largely a formality after House Republicans nominated him for the position on Wednesday, October 28. Hide Caption 1 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan announced Monday, January 12, that he would not run for president in 2016, preferring instead to focus on policy work as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Ryan, the GOP's 2012 vice presidential nominee, has long been seen as a top contender for the presidency. Hide Caption 2 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan, center, speaks with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, before a House Ways and Means Committee meeting on March 12, 2014. Hide Caption 3 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan and his wife, Janna, arrive at a state dinner at the White House in honor of French President Francois Hollande on February 11, 2014 . Hide Caption 4 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Willie Robertson of the reality TV series "Duck Dynasty" poses for a picture with Ryan and his wife, Janna, before President Obama delivers his State of the Union address on January 28, 2014. Hide Caption 5 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on March 15, 2013. Hide Caption 6 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan greets supporters during a presidential campaign rally with Mitt Romney at The Square at Union Centre in West Chester, Ohio, on November 2, 2012. Hide Caption 7 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin speaks during a campagin stop at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on August 13, 2012. It was the newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate's first solo stop since becoming Romney's running mate. Hide Caption 8 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan speaks after Romney announced him as his running mate in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 11, 2012. Hide Caption 9 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Romney introduced Ryan as his running mate in front of the USS Wisconsin. The seven-term congressman provides a strong contrast to the Obama administration on fiscal policy. Hide Caption 10 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Romney jokes with Ryan in April 2012 during a pancake brunch at Bluemound Gardens in Milwaukee. Hide Caption 11 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan looks on as Romney greets people June 18, 2012, during a campaign event in Janesville, Wisconsin. Hide Caption 12 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan speaks while campaigning for Romney at a textile factory in Janesville, Wisconsin, on June 18, 2012. Hide Caption 13 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan, left, and Romney greet each other on stage April 3, 2012, during the primary night gathering at The Grain Exchange in Milwaukee. Hide Caption 14 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan introduces Romney at a town hall meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 2, 2012. Hide Caption 15 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan is introduced before speaking about the federal budget at Georgetown University on April 26, 2012. Hide Caption 16 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan holds a news conference in December 2011 in Washington to introduce a package of 10 legislative reforms designed to revamp the budget process. Hide Caption 17 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan listens as Ben Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget annual conference in Washington on June 14, 2011. Hide Caption 18 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan looks over papers as he waits for other House Republicans to arrive for a news conference in the Capitol Visitors Center in 2010. Hide Caption 19 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan speaks to the media in 2009 about President Barack Obama's 2010 budget proposal. Hide Caption 20 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan, left, and Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire speak to reporters about the 2010 federal budget. Hide Caption 21 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Then-Budget Committee Chairman John M. Spratt Jr., left, and ranking member Ryan listen to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testify during the House Budget hearing on the economy on January 17, 2008. Hide Caption 22 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan follows President George W. Bush off of Air Force One at General Mitchell International Airport - Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee on July 11, 2006. Hide Caption 23 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Ryan speaks at a Cato Institute briefing on Medicare reform in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on July 22, 2003. Hide Caption 24 of 25 Photos: Paul Ryan, rising GOP star Speaker of the House Denis Hastert, left, administers the oath of office to Ryan at the beginning of his first term as representative of Wisconsin on January 6, 1999. Hide Caption 25 of 25

Moreover, everything is on hold until House Republicans try to raise the debt ceiling this week -- and there is no consensus within the ranks on how to proceed. Senate Republicans want to extend the debt ceiling until 2017 to take the issue off the table during an election year. House Republicans were forced last week to pull back a proposal crafted by a group of conservatives, that conditioned any debt increase to more spending cuts and a regulatory freeze, because it didn't have enough support to pass. GOP leaders are still trying to come up with a proposal that includes some type of reforms their members can point to in return for increasing the nation's borrowing authority.

All but two House Democrats signed a letter to Boehner on Friday demanding he move a "clean" extension of the debt limit -- one without conditions -- and warning that "failing to do so will plunge the nation into default for the first time in American history, risking economic catastrophe."

But some House Republicans say that a short-term increase should be pursued, potentially putting the issue in Ryan's lap.

Rep. David Brat, the Virginia Republican who unseated then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor last year, said Ryan should pair a debt ceiling increase with dollar-for-dollar spending cuts -- an idea Democrats strongly reject.

"Leadership promised the American people that," Brat said. "We don't want to go back on that if we give our word."

Rooney said it's possible that leaders could be forced again to take up a clean debt limit to avoid a default. While he'll oppose that approach, and noted Ryan voted against it last time, the Florida Republican said no one should blame Ryan for the struggle to avoid an economic crisis.

"If you really hold Paul Ryan responsible for a clean debt limit vote in his first day on the job, I think that's a little unfair to say that that's on him, especially since he's worked so hard at the issues which really do directly deal with the debt and trying to fix that problem," Rooney said.

Yet if Ryan or Boehner try to jam a debt ceiling bill through, they can expect outrage from their right flank.

"I can't vote for a bill dropped on my desk 24 hours before the vote," said Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-South Carolina, a member of the House Freedom Caucus.