Cantor asks Obama to work together on earmarks, spending

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) called President Obama on Wednesday and said he hopes to find common ground on spending issues, Cantor's office said.

Cantor and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were officially calling Obama to inform him that the House had chosen its Speaker, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio).

"And I know that many members of our conference are particularly hopeful that we can work together given some of your remarks about spending cuts, that you’ll be proposing in your State of the Union speech," Cantor said.

He said that he wants to work with Obama to convince the Senate to pass spending bills devoid of earmarks.

"And I personally – I know you’ve mentioned me in a discussion about earmarks, and I know you know that it would be a great bipartisan step for us to work with Leader Reid to come closer to our position," he said, according to a transcript.

He also said he would like to work with Obama on reform of the tax code. The president's debt commission recommended eliminating tax breaks while lowering individual and corporate rates. Obama appears sympathetic to the idea, and the discussion will likely revolve around whether any increased revenue from eliminating breaks will be used to pay down the debt. Republicans have said they want the increase only to be used to lower rates.