Boehner spokesman to join Ryan team

Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, will become a staffer for Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the new GOP candidate for vice president. 

With the move, Steel becomes the latest Republican operative with ties to Boehner (R-Ohio) to join the campaign team of the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney. 

Brendan Buck, a Boehner spokesman who largely dealt with the White House press corps, has also joined the Romney campaign, and Kevin Madden, one of the former Massachusetts governor’s top advisers in both 2008 and 2012, used to be on Boehner’s press team. 

BuzzFeed first reported Steel would join the Romney campaign, and a Romney aide confirmed the move. 

As Boehner’s spokesman, Steel is well acquainted with the budgets spearheaded by Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman. 

Ryan’s budget framework, which includes a broad overhaul of Medicare that Democrats believe can be a political plus for them, is expected to be central to the discussion for the rest of the campaign.

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