Former U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood joins infrastructure coalition

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ray LaHood, the former U.S. secretary of transportation, has been named a co-chair of infrastructure group Building America’s Future.

The bipartisan coalition of current and former elected officials works to raise awareness about the need to invest in the nation’s roads, bridges, airports, rails and ports.

LaHood will serve alongside two fellow co-chairs: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

The Building America’s Future co-chairs took the opportunity to call on Washington to support critical transportation infrastructure investments and to take action to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent.

“I am delighted to join Building America’s Future as a co-chair and am excited to work together with some of the nation’s most innovative public leaders,” LaHood said. “While there is widespread agreement that our nation’s aging roads, bridges, transit and aviation systems are woefully inadequate, Washington has failed to show leadership in making the tough decisions to increase revenue to fund these critical investments. With the Highway Trust Fund just months away from insolvency, it is time for action.”

Rendell added that “no one knows better than [LaHood] how challenging it is to break the gridlock in Washington, and I am proud to join him today in calling on Washington to raise the revenue necessary to modernize our critical transportation infrastructure.”

LaHood stepped down from his post at the helm of the U.S. Department of Transportation last year. He was succeeded by Anthony Foxx.