Kit Bond Spars with Ray LaHood

RUSH: Ray LaHood lost it yesterday at Capitol Hill. It’s budget time and they’re going through the transportation department budget. Ray LaHood’s a Republican, by the way, and here’s a portion of what Ray LaHood said. It’s all about transparency and he’s up there on Capitol Hill screaming about how transparent the Obama administration is.

SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION LAHOOD: I served in Congress for 14 [years] and I was a staffer for 17. I served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I don’t know of a more transparent administration than this one. And if there’s information you want, senator, we’ll be helpful in getting it to you. I will tell you this, senator: when it comes to the Show-Me State, high speed rail, very — did very well. TIGER grants did very well. I was in a room with over 200 people in Kansas City announcing a TIGER grant. I heard not one word of complaint.

RUSH: He’s talking to retiring Missouri Senator Kit Bond here. Now, this guy’s a Republican! And he says he’s never seen a more transparent administration than this one. So Kit Bond lets him have it.

BOND: There has been an almost complete absence of transparency in how you’re selecting them. Where you’re going, all right, great. It comes down like a gift from Santa Claus — and sure, my state got some. Every state gets some. But we have a right these days to know what were the criteria. What were the applications? Whose were the ones who were disappointed? Who did not get? How were they selected? No question when you throw money into infrastructure projects, everybody likes money in infrastructure projects. But we need to see how the process works, and I’ll be damned if I can figure out how that process worked.

RUSH: Amen! We don’t know who’s getting the money or why. We don’t know if they’re applying for it or if they’re just walking down the street and Santa Claus drops in on them and gives them some money. You call this transparency? ‘Yeah, my state got some but I don’t know how it happened.’ So LaHood claims it’s all on a website.

LAHOOD: You look on our website. It’s up there now. The guidance is up there. Everybody knows what the criteria is. I’ll be honest with you, Senator. We heard from a lot of senators and members of the House who called me and said, ‘How many applications from my state? What are they?’ I got phone calls every day from House members, from senators, from governors saying, ‘How many applications from my state? What are they? How much are they for? What are they going to do?’ and we shared all that information.

BOND: It would be very easy if you’d just put it on the website. That’d save you all those calls.

RUSH: (laughing) But the money quote there is (imitating LaHood), ‘I’ve been around here 17 years and 14 years, and I’ve never seen a more transparent administration than this one,’ and that’s from a Republican.