New Majority Leader Opposes Travel Ban, Reform:

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Newly elected House Majority Leader John Boehner stated on Sunday television shows that Congress may be overreacting to the current lobbying scandal and voiced his opposition to a proposed congressional travel ban and a ban of earmark projects. The Washington Post writes that Boehner’s ascension to the Majority Leader post “make[s] it less likely that the more far-reaching proposals to restructure lobbying will become law.” According to the Associated Press Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) justified his opposition to a ban on congressional travel with the rationale that, “We are now in a long-term war against terrorism.” Sen. Barak Obama, leading the Democratic reform effort in the Senate, stated, “It shows that some in Congress simply aren’t serious about reducing the influence of lobbyists and ending the culture of corruption that has plagued Washington.”