LaHood praises Obama State of the Union transportation push

Outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood praised President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday for its a road repair program. 

Obama called in his speech for lawmakers to create a "Fix-it-First" program to use federal money to encourage public-private partnerships to fund transportation improvements in the country.

Obama said the program would repair as many as 70,000 structurally deficient bridges.

In a blog post on the Department of Transportation website Wednesday, LaHood said the program would provide boost employment in the U.S.

"President Obama knows what we at DOT also know: fixing the roads, rails, bridges, ports, transit systems, and other transportation assets most in need of attention will create jobs and help our businesses compete more effectively," he wrote.  

"As the President said, 'Ask any CEO where they’d rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail,'" LaHood continued, quoting Obama's address.  "So, the president’s plan to build on the progress we've made during his first term and to make America a magnet for jobs and manufacturing includes a 'Fix-It-First' program that puts men and women to work as soon as possible on our most urgent infrastructure repairs." 

Obama is currently searching for a replacement for LaHood atop the transportation department. LaHood, who has been one of the most outspoken members of Obama's first term Cabinet, announced recently that he would retire after four years of running the DOT under Obama.

LaHood wrote that he was proud of the progress he said has been made during his tenure as transportation secretary.

"For the past four years we have been…helping to fund the work zones you see on highways across the country; upgrading America's ports, and bringing transit systems from coast to coast into a state of good repair," he said.

"But, as the President said last night, and as organizations from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the American Society for Civil Engineers know all too well, we have much more to do," LaHood continued, saying that it would take the "support of Congress" to continue the progress.

"As President Obama observed last night, the last Congress passed some of the provisions in his American Jobs Act. But we need the new Congress to pass the rest of it," LaHood wrote.

"American businesses have added more than 6 million jobs in the past 35 months, but we can do better," he continued. "The President's plan offers steps we can take right now to create more jobs, and as he said last night, "The American people expect Congress to act and get the job done."

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