Ryan the ringmaster tries to tame the untrained lions

Speaker Paul Ryan wanted to find out whether Republicans wanted to restart the appropriations process by passing individual spending bills.

The answer: A resounding no.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s vote counters discovered widespread opposition to a financial services appropriations bill. Members are worried about a range of issues, including taking tough votes for legislation that stands no chance of being signed into law, according to multiple members of the GOP whip team.

Scalise’s squad – at Ryan’s behest – asked lawmakers whether they would support bringing the financial services appropriations bill to the floor when the House returns Nov. 16. They found resistance from all corners of the party. Many lawmakers privately told POLITICO they would prefer to jump-start the process of writing a large-scale catchall funding bill called an omnibus. Funding runs out Dec. 11.

Ryan has started the discussion about appropriations five weeks before the deadline – and just one week into his speakership – which gives him room to maneuver. But the angst about taking votes on items that will never become law is real – and could prove to be a recurring theme in a more freewheeling House. A handful of lawmakers also used a closed meeting Thursday to complain about difficult votes.

But Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said that's a reasonable price to pay for empowering rank-and-file members.

“There are going to be tough votes for me, tough votes for them. I think that’s what the speaker said all along, you asked for an open process and that’s what that entails,” Salmon said. “That means people are going to have to take tough votes.”

Ryan notched an early win this week by passing a highway bill after voting on dozens of Amendments.

Spending bills, though, have been difficult to pass in recent years. For example, the Interior appropriations bill fell apart because lawmakers were split on how to handle whether the Confederate flag should be displayed in federal cemeteries.