House Conservatives: Not Willing to 'Play Dead' for Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan had a good run in his first few weeks on the job, clearing out several high- profile bills in a year-end rush.

The good times may not last.

Ryan is already lowering expectations of major legislative achievements in 2016, saying he wants to focus on spelling out a conservative agenda. Far-right Republicans say they want more -- and that they’ll push Ryan for votes on their top priorities, such as making significant tax changes, reining in entitlement programs and enacting a new health-care law.

That tension -- between Ryan’s push to set out broad principles and the House Freedom Caucus’s impatience to force higher-profile confrontations -- could intensify this week as House Republicans go to Baltimore to sort out their legislative agenda.

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