John Boehner is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was elected to a twelfth term in November 2012 as a representative of Ohio's eighth congressional district. On January 5, 2011, he was sworn in as the 53rd Speaker of the House in the 112th Congress. On 3 January 2013 he was re-elected for a second term. Boehner's focus in office has been to work for a more accountable, smaller, and less expensive federal government (Biography). His work to reform the government began long before he was elected Speaker of the House. He is recognized as part of the 1990s "Gang of Seven". This term was used to describe Republicans working to rid Congress of corruption (Roff, Peter). He has been praised and criticized for his work with the Tea Party. The Tea Party describes a group of ultra-conservative Republicans. Their final message is one of outrage at big government, big business, big national debt, and big taxes (Rowen, Beth). The Tea Party took root in 2009, shortly after President Obama's election. They believe they work for and represent the true owners of the United States, “We the People” (teaparty.org). The Tea Party began to gain strength in a series of nationwide demonstrations on April 15, 2009, fed up with the government. Protesters used the term tea as an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already” (Britannica). Boehner's loyalty to the Tea Party has often made him appear weak to the public. The government shutdown represented a low point in terms of the image of the Tea Party and Boehner. The Tea Party, or more specifically FreedomWorks and Heritage Action, two major Tea Party lobbying organizations, worked to squash the Affordable Care Act, the bill that would... middle of paper... Boehner's Lonely Job ." Washington Post. The Washington Post, September 30, 2013. Web. December 14, 2013. Roff, Peter. "John Boehner's Reformer History and Future - Peter Roff (usnews.com)." US News & World Report | News and Rankings |. Best Colleges, Best Hospitals and More. NP, October 5, 2010. Web. December 15, 2013. Rowen, Beth. "History of the Tea Party Movement - Infoplease.com: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas." , Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research and homework help. - Infoplease.com. Np. Web. December 15, 2013. Siddiqui, Sabrina. "John Boehner: Conservative Groups Have Lost All Credibility." Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, December 12, 2013. Web. “The Tea Party movement is a national embarrassment.” Latest news and opinions on the Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, February 9, 2010. Web. December 15. 2013.