Beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, the U.S. Constitution will be read aloud from the floor of the House of Representatives. The House Rules Package (H. Res. 5) sponsored by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was adopted by the House on January 3, 2013, and included the reading at the urging of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte.

Majority Leader Cantor made the following statement:

“Our Founding Fathers understood a legitimate government must be based on the consent of the people. As James Madison, the Father of the Constitution wrote, ‘It is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people.’ This is the people’s House and as Members of Congress we must never lose sight that we are committed to protecting the fundamental rights of the people we represent. Congress must live within its means, limit the growth of government and maximize individual liberty. Guided by these principles, I am confident the House will chart a course for the future that ensures liberty and prosperity for all Americans.”

Tomorrow’s reading is only the second time the U.S. Constitution has been read aloud in the House of Representatives. It was first read at the beginning of the 112th Congress when Republicans regained the majority.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor released the following statement regarding President Obama's concerning and disappointing nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense:

Recent reporting has made clear that Senator Hagel’s views and inflammatory statements about Israel are well outside the mainstream and raise well-founded doubts that he can be trusted to manage the special relationship the United States shares with our greatest Middle East ally... There has been widespread and bipartisan opposition to this potential nomination, and the President’s willingness to move forward despite these concerns only reinforces the signal that he agrees with Hagel's extreme positions.

Following the release of the December 2012 job report, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor issued the following statement:

"While I am encouraged 155,000 people found a job last month, today's unemployment report was disappointing. We must do better. 7.8% unemployment is sadly becoming the new normal. We are barely getting by, and that is not good enough for our sons and daughters, friends and neighbors who are driving from job interview to job interview. The unemployment number also does not reflect the millions of people who have given up hope of finding a job altogether.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor introduced H.Res 5, the House Republican Rules Package for the newly-convened 113th Congress:

This rules package is straightforward and builds upon the reforms and transparency implemented in the 112th Congress to address job creation and the economy, control the growth of government and limit wasteful spending.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor welcomes home U.S. Service Academy cadets and midshipmen for the holidays.

Great welcoming home for the holidays some of the young men and women I had the privilege of nominating to attend our U.S. Service Academies. Thank you to all the cadets and midshipmen serving. Our future is in good hands. Majority Leader Eric Cantor