| President-elect Barack Obama announced Friday his appointment of Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood to head the nation's Department of Transportation, calling on the Republican's seven terms of congressional experience and six years on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
 "Throughout his career, Ray has fought to improve mass transit and invest in our highways," Mr. Obama said in a news conference. "But he has not only helped rebuild our landscape, he has helped beautify it by creating opportunities for bikers and runners to enjoy our great outdoors.
LaHood said he and the president-elect "share the same philosophy on infrastructure ... we have a task to rebuild America."
LaHood, a moderate Republican, has been a strong voice for bipartisan cooperation throughout his political career. LaHood has represented Illinois in the House for 14 years, but recently announced plans to retire.
"Ray's appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit -- a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people," President-elect Obama said.
The appointment is in keeping with Mr. Obama's promise to appoint Republicans to his Cabinet. He also asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a Bush administration appointee, to stay on at the Pentagon.
If confirmed by the Senate, LaHood will inherit a wide range of challenges, including reforming the current gasoline tax and navigating the nation's wide-ranging transportation and infrastructure issues. High gas prices over the summer hurt nationwide sales and tax revenue, requiring Congress to lend $8 billion to the Highway Trust Fund.
President-elect Obama has made rebuilding the nation's infrastructure one of the central elements of his plan to stimulate job growth across the country, another initiative LaHood will have to manage.
LaHood will also be tasked with repairs in the Federal Aviation Administration, which seeks to improve air traffic control. The Department of Transportation, which includes the FAA, also contains the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Surface Transportation Board, among other bodies. Overall, the department has a $70 billion budget and almost 60,000 employees.
In his new role, LaHood is expected to help craft a five-year transportation bill that will focus on clean energy goals and improved infrastructure.
"Who better to put together one of the most important pieces of legislation to come before the next Congress?" state Rep. Aaron Schock, who was elected in November to replace LaHood in the House, asked, according to the Peoria Journal Star. "His record of leadership and bipartisanship make him especially qualified."
LaHood, who was born and educated in Peoria, Ill., has overseen major spending projects in his tenure on the House Appropriations Committee. LaHood is also a former state legislator and congressional aide. Before entering politics, he worked as a high school teacher.
Mike Lawrence, former director of Southern Illinois University's Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, hopes LaHood's appointment will mean more attention to transportation and infrastructure needs of his home state.
"We have the president-elect from Illinois, but this is even more important," he told the Journal Star. "Ray knows the state and the players here. I'm hoping he can play somewhat of a role in helping to move Illinois ahead on transportation."
-- Compiled from wire reports and media sources
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