White House Reaches Out to Ryan on Budget

Michael Scherer reports on a secret meeting between White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

“The nighttime beer with Ryan created no breakthroughs, but the two men informally talked about the possibility of a bargain later this year that could bring down the deficit. It was never meant to be a negotiating session, though. And as it wound down, Ryan felt obliged to warn his new acquaintance not to take it personally the following day, when he would appear on television again…. Ryan would say later that it was the first time anyone from the Obama Administration had reached out for a substantive conversation.”