A senior House Republican aide tells National Review Online that GOP Leader John Boehner has asked Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.) to schedule a special conference meeting this week on earmark reform. Boehner’s decision comes on the heels of a growing movement in the GOP caucus, led by Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), to establish a yearlong moratorium on earmarks. For weeks, Flake has been trying to collect the 50 GOP signatures needed to have a conference session on the subject.

Roll Call has more on the politics of Boehner’s move:

The new Republican push comes as House Democrats consider an earmark ban of their own in an effort to claim the high ground on the issue that has divided their Republican counterparts for several years. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested the idea of a yearlong caucus-wide earmark moratorium during a Democratic leadership meeting last week.

UPDATE:

From a GOP staffer:

In the room, Boehner said this: “We’re going to have to make a decision . . . Are we really willing to put it all on the line to win this thing?”