U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement on lobbying reforms proposed by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-CA):
“Restoring the public trust will require a combination of short-term and long-term actions by our majority. I support the efforts outlined today by Speaker Hastert and Chairman Dreier to help restore the American people’s trust in the government that serves them. I believe Republicans must build on the steps they have outlined by enacting earmark reform and establishing clear standards by which worthy projects can be distinguished from worthless pork.
“Last week, I sent a letter to Chairman Dreier outlining a series of suggestions for reforms that I believe must be addressed by our Republican majority in the short term and long term, from strengthening lobbyist disclosure rules to injecting greater transparency and clearer standards into the process. It also called on ending loopholes that exempt taxpayer-funded government lobbyists from congressional ethics rules and reforming so-called ‘527′ organizations. I look forward to working with my Conference colleagues on these and other reforms.”