WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTAQ) - Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan will play a major role in the Republican Party’s effort to unseat President Obama next fall.

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus named the Janesville lawmaker this afternoon to head up the GOP’s fund-raising efforts to get a Republican in the White House.

Priebus is from Wisconsin, so he knows the House Budget Committee chairman well. In a statement, Priebus called Ryan a “visionary leader.” And Priebus said it’s quote, “fitting that he play a crucial role in the upcoming election where our nation’s future hangs in the balance.”

Ryan became a national figure earlier this year, when he proposed a budget blueprint that called for reductions in Medicare benefits for those who are 54-and-younger today – as well as converting Medicaid into a block grant program.

In accepting his role, Ryan said Americans quote, “cannot afford another four years of high unemployment, unchecked government spending, and record deficits and debt.”