Hensarling To Leaders: Thanks, But It's Not Quite Enough

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling has a message for his leaders: Thanks for incorporating our ideas, but you didn't go far enough.

Shortly after Republican leaders in the House unveiled their policy planks to boost the sagging economy, Hensarling issued a memo to caucus conservatives applauding the leaders for accepting all-but-one component of the group's eight-point action plan.

However, the Texas Republican laments the exclusion of an immediate moratorium on earmarks. The leaders' proposal includes a moratorium, but not the voluntary unilateral ban Hensarling and other RSC members have requested.

"As you have heard me state before, without action today, I fear the American people will never learn our party has called for a moratorium, while the Democrats stand for business as usual on pork-barrel spending," Hensarling wrote.

The RSC chairman was typically cordial in his tone, encouraging members of the group to "thank [Republican] Leader [John A.] Boehner for incorporating most of our Action Plan." And he acknowledges work remains before he will call for a formal vote adopting this blanket ban.

But the outspoken Texan still plans to call a special conference at which members can vote on this moratorium, something Boehner and other leaders are trying to prevent.

"Most of our membership believe it will probably prove necessary to discuss and resolve this issue as a special concerence to be scheduled soon," Hensarling says in closing.

The two sides met again yesterday, but the conversations were not enough to convince Hensarling and  a cadre of fellow conservatives to withdraw their request.

In the memo, the chairman also takes a shot at unnamed news organizations - which include Politico - for "misleading" "press reports concerning the RSC's role in this situation." But unlike so many of our sources on the Hill, we here at Politico welcome any on-the-record rebukes.