DATE: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011.EVENT: The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy will host U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, House majority leader, 112th Congress, for a lecture about the problems and challenges the country faces. Cantor will discuss how the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives plans to tackle challenges. He also will argue that America needs a leaner, smarter and more efficient government that produces results by promoting a culture of opportunity, responsibility and success. The speech also will detail the Republican legislative strategy of cutting spending and needless regulation, and growing jobs and the economy. In addition, Cantor will touch on how his party intends to deal with President Obama: areas where they will work with him, and areas where they will provide a check and balance on his policies.The lecture is free and open to the public.Cantor, who earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from The College of William and Mary, has represented Virginia’s 7th district in the U.S. House since 2001. He is chair of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare and previously served as minority whip and on the House Committee on Ways and Means.Congressional Quarterly described Cantor as “the GOP’s communicator, rainmaker and consensus builder.” He is co-author of “Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders,” a 2010 New York Times best-selling book.LOCATION: Michigan League Ballroom, 911 N. University Ave. Central Campus map: http://www.umich.edu/~info/mapsAndDirections.html#anchor_centralCampusSPONSOR: Gerald R. Ford School of Public PolicyWEB LINK: http://www.fordschool.umich.edu/