By Patrick Torphy, The Christian Science Monitor.

As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan has been Congress’s go-to tax wonk. Now, as speaker of the House, that same passion is expected to be channeled into his leadership agenda, and some are anticipating a once-in-a-generation rewrite of the tax code.

Mr. Ryan hasn’t laid out specific policy proposals he would pursue as speaker, but he has flirted with some issues while avoiding others.

The Wisconsin representative has said he won’t work with Obama on immigration reform, but he did tell CBS News that his party needs to spearhead “policy risks," including tax reform.