House Speaker Paul Ryan defended the tax incentives the state of Wisconsin offered to the manufacturer Foxconn to bring a new factory to his district, saying the deal is "exceptional" and the factory would be a "game-changer" for the state.

"I see this as a game-changer," the Republican said at a Monday night town hall in his district shown by CNN.

Asked by a constituent whether it was a bad precedent for the government to offer tax subsidies to a corporation in return for the promise of jobs, Ryan drew a distinction between the federal government and state and local governments, which often compete for corporate jobs.

Further, he added, the Foxconn deal is an exception because "it brings an entire sector to Wisconsin." The factory, he said, would allow Wisconsin to be at the forefront of high-tech manufacturing in the country.

Gov. Scott Walker offered a $3 billion package of incentives to the company to build a major facility in Southeastern Wisconsin to manufacture LCD panels. The state legislature still has to approve the deal.

It's estimated the new factory will create 3,000 to 13,000 new jobs, including the construction of the plant.

The deal has received some opposition from the right. Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin, a free-market group, said this month it could not support the tax incentives because of their cost and the fact they are not available to other companies.

President Trump brought Walker and Ryan to the White House in July to tout the deal to bring the plant to the U.S.

At Monday's event, Ryan also touted his efforts to pass tax reform legislation at the federal level that would simplify the tax code and lower tax rates for businesses.