WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jeb Hensarling, the second ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee and the co-author of H.J. Res 79, the Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution, issued the following statement on Republican Whip Eric Cantor’s op-ed on earmarks:

“As a long-time earmark reformer, I applaud Whip Cantor’s approach to fixing the small problems so that the American people will once again trust Congress to solve our nation’s greatest challenges.  I also appreciate the leadership that Leader John Boehner, Whip Cantor and many other Republicans exhibited when we approved our earmark moratorium earlier this year.

“While not all earmarks are bad, all too often the earmark process represents the triumph of secrecy over transparency, the special interest over the national interest, and seniority over merit.  All too often, earmarks fundamentally disrespect the hard-earned money of American workers and too many earmarks are in the nature of an unacceptable, no-bid contract.

“While they represent a small fraction of Washington’s total spending, there is no doubt that congressional earmarks are a large part of Washington’s reckless culture of spending that costs the taxpayer money.

"When it comes to earmarks, Congress can't go back to business as usual."

To view Cantor’s op-ed in today’s POLITICO go to http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=A3C56C6F-C6EC-08BF-FB69B9D4AAAF99AC