Earmark-Free House Makes Boehner's Job 'More Difficult': 'I've Got No Grease'

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said today that an earmark-free chamber has made his job more difficult, but claimed both sides of the aisle are “very happy” about the progress made.

“No earmarks, who can imagine?”Boehner said on CNN’s “State of the Union” this morning. “You know, we’ve been through 16 months now, not one earmark.”

“It’s made my job a lot more difficult, in terms of how to pass important legislation, because there’s no grease, I’ve got no grease,” he added. “So, no earmarks. A more open process, allowing Democrats and Republicans to represent their constituency, to bring their ideas onto the floor. We’re making real progress.”

Boehner said it’s been his goal to “rebuild” the House.

“Having watched what’s happened here in this institution over the 21 years that I’ve been here, we’ve made positive steps in the right direction,” he said. “Both Democrats and Republicans are very happy about the progress we’ve made. They want more and so do I.”

The speaker again accused President Obama of “diminishing the presidency by picking fake fights, going after straw men every day.”

“The point I’ve been trying to make here in the last couple of weeks is that the president’s bigger than this,” Boehner said. “The presidency is important. America has big challenges. Big fiscal challenges, and we’ve got big challenges with our economy and the president ought to be working with Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to address the big issues that affect the American people.”