LaHood back to pressure skeptical GOP colleagues

Ray LaHood passed up the allure of K Street to join President Obama’s Cabinet, but he’s been doing a lot of lobbying this week.

The former Illinois congressman, who is now Obama’s secretary of Transportation, is leaning on his ex-colleagues to back the president’s stimulus package. He has placed calls to a number of Republicans, including Reps. John Mica (Fla.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.) and Charlie Dent (Pa.). LaHood told ABC News that he has called 11 House Republicans.

{mosads}LaHood, who used to sit on the Appropriations Committee, has been trying to sell Republicans on the increased infrastructure spending that would go to their states.

Despite LaHood’s outreach, Mica, ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that he is likely to vote against the measure.

LaTourette says he’s “70-30 percent” opposed to the Democrats’ package but may reconsider if the final package contains a provision that would give tax breaks to people who buy American-made cars.
Capito and Dent haven’t made a final decision yet, but Capito seems to be leaning no. She has scheduled a “town hall meeting via conference call” with her constituents to hear feedback before deciding.

During an interview on CNN on Sunday, LaHood said he is having little luck convincing his former House Republican colleagues to back the stimulus package.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help the president find the votes for the conference report once the Senate passes this. I’m going to work the phones, I’m going to talk to my former colleagues and do everything I can to persuade them that this bill really will put people to work.”

Democrats will have the votes to pass a stimulus bill in the House, but they privately acknowledged that they were surprised that every voting Republican rejected the House-passed measure in late January. Getting a handful, or perhaps a dozen, House Republicans to vote yes would enable Democrats and Obama to tout the final bill as bipartisan. At least three GOP senators are expected to vote yes on the House-Senate conference report.

Eleven Democrats rejected the House bill, causing House Republicans to note that the vote against it was a bipartisan effort.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) told The Hill that he was aware of LaHood’s lobbying efforts but will continue his push to keep the minority party united when the House votes on the package in the next few days.

Freshman Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) was invited to have dinner with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and 10 other House Republicans a day before the House vote. After breaking bread with Emanuel, he voted no. Days later, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — which Emanuel used to head — singled out Lance for his vote against the stimulus.

Lance told The Hill, “I think that the people in the congressional district I represent respect my views on fiscal responsibility.”

Lance said that the White House has not contacted him since he voted no.

Below is a list of House Republicans who may vote to back the final stimulus bill:

• Joseph Cao (La.). He represents a heavily Democratic district and told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he would vote for the final bill if it contains less unnecessary spending.

• Capito. The bill would bring a fair amount of funds to West Virginia, something that Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) will be touting. A vote against the stimulus could come back to haunt Capito if she runs for the Senate down the road.

• Mike Castle (Del.). Castle, a leading centrist, is not afraid to buck his party. He was also among 11 Republicans who had dinner with Emanuel before the House stimulus vote.

• Dent. The Pennsylvania lawmaker has praised Obama for his bipartisanship and the White House has courted him. Dent attended the dinner with Emanuel and also was invited to Obama’s bill signing ceremony on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program reauthorization. Dent, who watched the Super Bowl with Obama and other lawmakers at the White House, is on the fence on final passage.

• Vernon Ehlers (Mich.). After voting against the House bill, Ehlers said he was “optimistic” that Obama and the Congress could come up with better legislation.

• Jo Ann Emerson (Mo.). She worked closely with Emanuel on prescription drug reimportation legislation and attended the Jan. 27 dinner with the former Illinois lawmaker at the White House.

• Jim Gerlach (Pa.). After he rejected the House bill, Gerlach reminded his constituents that another vote on the stimulus would happen this month.

• Timothy Johnson (Ill.). Johnson pointed out in a release late last month that he has broken with his party on several occasions. This could be another one.

• LaTourette. He’s a dealmaker, but he doesn’t quickly agree to a deal.

• Pete King (N.Y.). The Homeland Security Committee ranking member is eyeing a bid for the Senate and told Newsday, “I hope to be able to vote for an improved stimulus before Presidents Day.”

• Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.). He voted for SCHIP this year, and members are openly wondering whether he embraces the final bill. McCotter was the only leadership member to reject the $700-billion bailout measure in the fall.

• John McHugh (N.Y.). McHugh said his vote against the House measure “was a difficult decision. There was much in the measure that I support…After continued discussion with President Obama and the U.S. Senate, I look forward to voting in the days ahead in favor of an agreed upon, truly bipartisan legislation.”

• Mica. Republicans are not fond of how Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has moved the stimulus bill through Congress, but Mica has extolled House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar’s (D-Minn.) actions on the bill. Oberstar may yet convince Mica to support the measure.

• Candice Miller (Mich.). Miller’s vote is viewed as attainable. She attended the Emanuel dinner in late January.

• Dave Reichert (Wash.). He also said there were provisions in the House bill that he backed. Reichert, a perennial Democratic target, declined to comment on how he will vote on the final measure.

• Fred Upton (Mich.). Upton attended Obama’s rally for the stimulus in Indiana this week and is leaning toward backing the conference bill.