John Boehner has never requested an earmark

Time:

So what sort of Speaker will he be? How will he leave his mark on the House? If there's one issue that illustrates Boehner's personal beliefs and leadership style, it's earmarks, the pet projects that members of Congress slip into spending bills. Boehner has personally taken a principled stand against pork. He has never requested an earmark for his district, telling his constituents that if they're looking to raid the Treasury, they should elect someone else. But in 2006, when Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona was crusading against earmarks, Boehner pressured him to stop embarrassing fellow Republicans and booted him off the Judiciary Committee when he refused to do so. So Flake had to chuckle this year when Boehner sent a letter to Republicans warning that they would lose committee assignments if they requested earmarks. The political winds had shifted. "It's easy to find religion in the minority," Flake says. "We'll see what happens if we win back the House."

The New Speaker: Tanned, Tested, Ready [Time]