With such consensus in public opinion, it comes as no surprise that House legislators used their first 100 hours [in Congress] to bring "an end to flagrant abuses of power and put Congress back on the side of working families" write Rahm Emmanuel and Marty Meeham, both House representatives, for an opinion piece in the Chicago Sun Times.

Gone are the "gifts from lobbyists and lavish vacations ... the corporate jets and pay-to-play schemes like Tom DeLay's 'K-Street project.'" Even the earmark process, "[which] has become what infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff called an 'ATM for lobbyists,'" is set to face greater scrutiny.

Reactions to the reforms are mixed. The San Antonio Express-News praises the reforms as serious, and the Palm Beach Post writes “The House ethics package was a good start”. Others are less optimistic. The Washington Post notes, "the new rules, the toughest changes since Watergate, still leave lots of room for special interests to curry favour", and the Buffalo News concurs that lobbyists "likely will find ways to circumvent the newly established rules".