Thu Dec 12, 2013 AT 8:31 AM EST
House Speaker John Boehner ripped conservative leaders opposing Paul Ryan’s budget deal Wednesday. “They’re using our members and they’re using the American people for their own goals,” he told National Journal. “This is ridiculous.” Ryan took to the pages of National Review to defend the deal, calling it “a firm step in the right direction.” NR also posted a conservative critique of the deal. Newt Gingrich writes in Newsmax that its a “bad deal” and “dishonest.” It appears, however, that enough House Republicans support the package to ensure its passage, reports the Washington Post.