Speaker John Boehner's (R., Ohio) new video, "No Earmarks", praises Republicans for keeping their pledge to remove earmarks from appropriations, while renewing that same commitment: "As long as I’m Speaker, there will be no earmarks."
"Under both Republican and Democrat majorities of the past," Boehner recalls, "the use and the number of earmarks skyrocketed. When the American people entrusted Republicans with the majority here in the House, we pledged that we would do things differently. So when it comes to earmarks, we’ve kept our promise."
Boehner lists off the bills Republicans have kept clean of earmarks: "For the fifth year in a row, we’re doing appropriation measures without earmarks. Defense authorization bill. No earmarks. Highway bill. No earmarks. And now the water resources bill. No earmarks."
The video cuts to Harry Reid threatening the return of earmarks, declaring, "They're coming back, it's only a question of when."
"My position hasn’t changed," Boehner announces, "and the position of our team has not changed. This is more than just about dollars and cents; it’s about earning the trust of the people that we serve. And as long as I’m Speaker, there will be no earmarks."