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AAI Congratulates Congressman LaHood on his appointment to Secretary of Transportation

AAI
Posted on Friday December 19, 2008

Ray LaHood, the Republican congressman who has represented Illinois’ 18th District since 1995, has been tapped by President-Elect Barack Obama for Secretary of Transportation.

Congressman LaHood is a talented statesman with a demonstrated record of legislative bipartisanship. He hosted regular dinners with Republican and Democrat House colleagues and worked to bring consensus to efforts on the House floor. With his knowledge of Congress and his fair-handed demeanor, LaHood has often chaired the House of Representatives on contentious issues. In addition to his many accomplishments in Congress, of special interest to Arab Americans was his support for efforts to end discriminatory airport profiling and his work during the Clinton administration that led to ending the ban on travel to Lebanon.

“Arab Americans are proud of Ray LaHood’s service to our country. He is a measured and thoughtful voice on the Hill, someone who has never been afraid to reach across the aisle to find common ground. We salute President-Elect Obama on a great pick for the Department of Transportation and for America,” says AAI President James Zogby.

In 2008, the Arab American Institute awarded Congressman LaHood the Najeeb Halaby Award for Public Service (presented annually to an Arab American who has excelled in public service while displaying strong and visible pride in his or her heritage); coincidentally, Halaby served as the second Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency from 1961 to 1965. Congressman LaHood is the grandson of Lebanese immigrants. He is currently serving his seventh term representing his district in Illinois.

If you would like to congratulate Congressman LaHood, you will find his contact information by clicking here.