House Speaker Paul Ryan remains hopeful. | AP Photo Ryan says he doesn't have the votes to pass a budget

Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday said he does not have enough GOP support to pass a budget, something he once called the basic function of governing when he was House Budget chairman.

“You need the votes to pass a budget,” the Wisconsin Republican told reporters at a news conference when asked about the possibility of moving a fiscal blueprint. “We don’t have them right now.”


When Democrats failed to pass budgets while they were in the majority, Republicans pilloried them for failing to do their job. But now, Democrats are lobbing the same criticism back at the GOP.

The House Republican Conference is deeply divided over a deal outgoing Speaker John Boehner of Ohio struck with the White House last fall, which raised budget caps to allow for more government spending.

Conservatives hate the deal, preferring to keep in place the across-the-board cuts known as sequester, enacted into law years ago. They refuse to vote for a budget at the higher spending level. And since Ryan can't turn to Democrats for support due to policy riders often in the budget, he’s stuck.

The speaker, however, said he’s still hopeful: “I still want to pass a budget.”