House GOP seems ready to renew Ryan, other leaders for 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans seem ready to keep Speaker Paul Ryan and other leaders in their posts as a GOP exultant over Donald Trump's White House triumph prepares to push year-end bills through the lame-duck Congress and focus on a bolder agenda next year.

Ryan faced dissension from hard-right conservatives wondering if he'll be aggressive enough and Trump backers irked by his refusal to campaign for the GOP presidential nominee.

[...] lawmakers from across the party's spectrum predicted Ryan would prevail, aided by Trump's victory and the president-elect's selection of Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, a Ryan friend from Wisconsin, as White House chief of staff.

Another Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Trump's victory helped Ryan "more out of the necessity of having to hit the ground running on issues that are important, that were campaigned on, than anything else."

Leaders also want bills approved speeding government drug approval and financing water projects, including money to help Flint, Michigan, clean up its lead-poisoned water supply.