The Government Printing Office (GPO) today announced that House bills for the 113th Congress are now available for bulk download in XML at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/bulkdata/. This is the second project unveiled in the 113th Congress that was coordinated or initiated by the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Task Force created in 2012. Earlier this week, the Office of the Clerk announced that full sessions of House floor summaries are now available for bulk download as well. Learn more about both here: http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/speaker-boehner-leader-cantor-praise-gpo-providing-bulk-access-house-bills-xml

In between floor debates and press conferences were small moments shared with colleagues, staff, and visitors from around the world. This set of photos, including several newly released images, takes you behind the scenes with Speaker Boehner, a self-described “regular guy with a big job.”

Video from Speaker Boehner's remarks to the opening session of the 113th Congress: "The American Dream is in peril so long as its namesake is weighed down by this anchor of debt.  Break its hold, and we begin to set our economy free.  Jobs will come home.  Confidence will come back. We do this not just to boost GDP or reduce unemployment, but to secure for our children a future of freedom and opportunity.  Nothing is more important." http://www.speaker.gov/video/full-text-speaker-boehner-addresses-opening-session-113th-congress

In the debate over avoiding the “fiscal cliff,” an important point has been forgotten: when it comes to solving our debt, government spending is the problem that must be addressed. http://www.speaker.gov/general/spendingistheproblem-chasing-higher-spending-higher-taxes-won-t-solve-our-debt

Speaker Boehner says the president's fiscal cliff plan "does not fulfill his promise to bring a balanced approach to solving this problem. It’s mainly tax hikes. And his plan does not begin to solve our debt crisis. It actually increases spending." http://www.speaker.gov/video/speaker-boehner-president-s-plan-not-balanced-does-not-begin-solve-debt-crisis

"Washington has a spending problem.  Let’s be honest - we’re broke. ... where are the president’s spending cuts?" - Speaker Boehner http://www.speaker.gov/speech/speaker-boehner-where-are-president-s-spending-cuts

While President Obama is demanding tax rate hikes on small businesses, former Clinton White House Chief of Staff and Democrat Erskine Bowles  told CBS Face the Nation, "We have to cut spending." ... "Even if you raise the top rates back to the Clinton rates, that only creates about $400 billion over 10 years. That's $40 billion a year. We have a trillion dollar a year deficit," said Bowles. And the spending cuts offered by the president - which are dwarfed by the new 'stimulus' spending he proposes - are "not enough. We're going to have to do more." http://www.speaker.gov/video/bowles-we-have-cut-spending

"When it comes to the fiscal cliff that is threatening our economy and threatening jobs, the White House has wasted another week. ... Instead of reforming the tax code and cutting spending, the president wants to raise tax rates. But even if the president got the tax rate hike that he wanted, understand that we would continue to see trillion dollar deficits for as far as the eye can see. Listen, Washington’s got a spending problem, not a revenue problem.” http://www.speaker.gov/video/speaker-boehner-white-house-has-wasted-another-week-slow-walking-economy-edge-fiscal-cliff

For those wondering why an agreement hasn’t been reached to avoid the fiscal cliff, National Journal has the answer -- Democrats are intentionally slow-walking negotiations: http://www.speaker.gov/general/democrats-adopt-slow-walk-strategy-fiscal-cliff-negotiations-national-journal-reports

Speaker Boehner: "This week we made a good-faith offer to avert the fiscal crisis and that offer included significant spending cuts and reforms, and it included additional revenue.  And frankly it was the balanced approach that the president’s been asking for. Now we need a response from the White House." http://www.speaker.gov/video/president-obama-obligated-offer-plan-can-pass-both-houses-congress