LaHood suggested that his GOP colleagues on the hill are sabotaging policies that might make Obama look like he’s doing a good job for the country. “A big percentage of the Republicans that were elected this time came here to do zero, and that’s what they’ve done,” he said. “Here we are almost 12 months from the election and there are some people in Congress — look there are probably 40 people, 40 Republicans, elected to the House to come here to do nothing.” LaHood accuses them of obstructing other lawmakers who want to get things done.
LaHood served as a Republican congressman from Illinois for 14 years until he retired in 2008. Before that, he was a top aide to House Republican leader Bob Michel of Illinois. As America’s Transportation Secretary, he is the most prominent Republican in the Obama administration.
“When I was elected in ’94 we had a very reform-minded class, 82 new people, but they came here to do something, to solve problems,” he said. “Almost always in the past when people have run for Congress, they ran for Congress on the opportunity to help solve the problems of America.”
LaHood has been trying to generate support for Obama’s $447 billion jobs package, saying the bill’s $50 billion in transportation projects plus a $10 billion investment in an infrastructure bank would put people to work immediately in the construction industry. Senate Republicans recently killed that bill and offered up their own version with none of Obama’s proposals.
Despite what he calls GOP obstruction, LaHood says he believes Congress will pass a major transportation spending bill before next year’s election.
“They know people are hurting and they know their popularity in their districts is not too good right now,” he said. “You can’t put people back to work with the same old slogans about cutting taxes and tax breaks for small businesses. That only goes so far.”
LaHood announced on Oct. 13 that he is retiring from politics.
On a side note: You gotta love this guy’s name. Sounds like somebody you don’t want to mess with.
