Speaker Paul Ryan visits Rhode Island today

March 2, 2017 6:01 am

ABC6 News

By: News Staff

news@abc6.com

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The House speaker will visit the Providence office of “Year Up” Thursday.

The non-profit provides career training and job skills to low income young adults.

Speaker Ryan actually met with the Boston branch of the non-profit during a recent visit to Massachusetts.

Of course, Ryan’s visit is being met with mixed reactions here in largely Democratic Rhode Island.

Protests have already been planned in downtown Providence by members of the Rhode Island working families’ party.

They are hosting a rally outside 40 Fountain Street Thursday where they believe Ryan will be.

Rhode Island GOP Chairman Brandon Bell says he looks forward to meeting with the speaker

“I’m going to tell him what we’re working on here in Rhode Island and hopefully he can help us recruit some good congressional candidates,” said Bell.

“His values that he’s promoting are not Rhode island values. That agenda really doesn’t fly in Rhode Island and we want to make sure he knows,” said Georgia Hollister Isman of RI Working Families.

Bell says it has been years since a sitting speaker has visited Rhode Island.

Ryan has been the leading Republican in the House of Representatives since October of 2015. He also was Mitt Romney’s running mate during Romney’s 2012 election run.