House Republicans seem a tad defensive about their year-end budget bill as evidenced by their activities over the holiday break, suggesting that they are hearing complaints about the package at home.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who has come under criticism from the far-right over the deal, used Twitter on Sunday to post an interview where he reiterated his distaste for omnibus spending bills and said House Republicans were driven by their concern to make certain the military was funded. He again posted on Twitter a recitation of the “significant number of wins for Republican priorities” in the bill while noting it was a compromise.

The weekend activity of the speaker’s office followed concerted efforts by other top House Republicans to push back against conservative criticism of the deal by highlighting Republican victories, particularly lifting the ban on exports of domestic oil and imposing restrictions on the Environmental Protection Agency and the Internal Revenue Service.

While the legislation has been hailed in Washington as evidence that the two parties can work together, it has been assailed by conservative activists who considered it a capitulation to President Obama and congressional Democrats and a sign that little has changed despite the departure of John A. Boehner as speaker. They have been particularly harsh on the measure’s temporary increase in visas for foreign workers and the lack of limits on Planned Parenthood or on refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Republican leaders have also been hurt by repeated Democratic claims of victory on both the spending and policy fronts.

But Mr. Ryan seems to be on solid footing with those who count the most: his House Republican colleagues. Most of them voted for the bill and the conservatives who did not are giving the new speaker a pass, essentially saying he was playing out Mr. Boehner’s hand. Mr. Ryan has a much higher standing in the conservative movement than Mr. Boehner ever did, but he will not be able to keep the critics at bay indefinitely if he cannot show them he plans to do things differently in 2016.