Outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday lamented
the amount of infrastructure spending that was approved by Congress
during his tenure.
LaHood placed most of the blame for the lack of transportation
funding in recent years on his former colleagues in the Republican
party.
"For all the talk within the Republican Party about helping small
businesses, there are a lot of small businesses that are in the road
construction business, the bridge construction business that would
benefit from a bold infrastructure bill," LaHood, who
was a Republican House member from Illinois before becoming
Transportation Secretary, said in an
interview on "The Diane Rehm Show" on National Public Radio.
"And I
don't think you'd be turning off people in America because they know
that America is one big pothole right now," LaHood continued.
LaHood was a Republican House member from Illinois before he joined
the Obama administration in 2009. He announced last week that he was
retiring after serving one term at the helm of the Department of Transportation.
The departing DOT secretary said America was at risk of falling
losing its place as a leader in infrastructure development if the trend
was not quickly reversed under his eventual successor.
"At one time ... we were the leader in infrastructure," he said. "We built
the interstate system. It's the best road system in the world, and we're
proud of it. But we're falling way behind other countries, because we
have not made the investments."
LaHood noted that Congress passed a $105 billion surface transportation bill last year, but he lamented the fact that the measure only provided appropriations for road and transit projects until 2014.
"Congress passed a two-year bill. Ordinarily they would pass a five-year bill," he said. "It was only a two-year bill because they couldn't find enough money to fund a five-year bill."
Since LaHood announced his retirement last week, speculation on his replacement at the Department of Transportation has centered on National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman.
LaHood said Wednesday that whoever ends up replacing him will have to think outside the box to find more transportation funding.
For more on LaHood's comments, click here.
