Obama Gives 'Kudos' To Paul Ryan For Helping Pass Omnibus

President Obama is praising Republican Speaker Paul Ryan and former Speaker John Boehner for helping him get through the year without a government shutdown and for funding his legislative priorities.

Obama said John Boehner deserved credit for raising the spending levels before he left office, leaving more room for his successor Paul Ryan to negotiate. But he also pointed out that Speaker Ryan deserved credit for working with Democrats to pass a bill.

“I think he is respectful of the process and respectful of how legislation works,” Obama said. “So kudos to him as well as all the other leaders and appropriators who were involved in this process.”

Obama described his relationship with Ryan as “professional,” adding that he was honest about what he could or could not accomplish in the House. He also praised Democratic leaders and members of his staff for their “terrific negotiations” with Republicans on Capitol Hill.

“It was a good win,” he said, adding that there were some parts of the bill that he didn’t like it was the “nature of legislation and compromise.”

He signaled optimism that the rest of his agenda would have some success in the following year, pointing to a year that would be heavily controlled by politics with a presidential election looming.

He also noted that ”we still have some unfinished business” and reminded reporters that he ”will leave it all out on the field” next year.