While gas prices keep soaring as the U.S. war in Iran shows no end in sight, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said he’s ready to see the Trump Administration find a way out of the war soon.
“We need to wind down the conflict, I’ve publicly said that. I think we need to have an off ramp on that, that’s number one,” LaHood said during an interview Monday following an appearance in Pekin to announce federal funding for a bridge project in Tazewell County.
“Number two, we have to open the Strait of Hormuz and get that done. I think you do that through diplomatic approach. We’ve got to continue to work with Iran as best we can on a solution that opens the Strait of Hormuz because we’ve seen way too high of energy prices, fertilizer prices, petrochemical prices.”
LaHood, whose 16th District includes parts of Greater Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, said he would encourage the White House to continue negotiations with Iran, getting help from “our like-minded allies in the region and in Europe,” in coming to a resolution.
However, he stopped short of criticizing the ongoing military action entirely.
“I think we have decimated appropriately Iran’s military capabilities. Now is the time for negotiation as best we can do that,” he said. “I think both sides have negotiating 'ask,' and I think we need to continue to work through that process. I’m optimistic that we can reach a resolution and, again, get this open back up and get energy prices lower. That has to be a priority.”
LaHood said he doesn’t believe the military action has emboldened Iran by showing the country the leverage it has by closing the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think when we look back in 20 years, and the narrative is that we changed the trajectory of Iran, that’s good for the world. It’s good for America,” said LaHood. “Remember, Iran has been the leading state sponsor of terrorism for the last 45 years. Just in December alone, they killed 30,000 of their own people that were peacefully protesting. This is a terrorist regime that’s run by religious mullahs and dictators. They had to be dealt with.
“What I appreciate now is their nuclear capability has been decimated, their ballistic missiles have been decimated, their hypersonic arsenal has been decimated and their navy has been decimated. That’s going to be better for the world, it’s going to be better for America and it’s going to be better for the Middle East.”
As an advocate for budget responsibility, LaHood admitted he is uneasy about the escalating cost of the war, estimated by some analysts and government officials to be approaching $50 billion.
“It’s a lot of taxpayer money, particularly when we’re $39 trillion in debt. But again, in the end, presidents have talked about taking out Iran for the last 45 years and no one’s been able to do it. The timing of this, I think, was the right timing. Iran has never been weaker,” said LaHood, adding that ending the Iranian regime’s support of terrorism “will pay dividends in the long term.”
Farm Bill, E-15
LaHood said he’s pleased the House was able to pass the latest Farm Bill, which maintains funding cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] that some Senate Democrats oppose.
“We passed it in a bipartisan way in the House of Representatives, that’s a good thing — the Farm Bill should be bipartisan. But it’s a compromise,” he said. “Were there cuts to SNAP and food stamps and to some of our nutrition programs? Yes, there were minimal cuts. There were also cuts in some of the crop insurance programs and other things.
“When I vote on a piece of legislation, I have a ‘yes’ button and a ‘no’ button; I don’t have a ‘perfect’ button, and this was a reflection of compromise. But agriculture is the number one industry in the state of Illinois. We lead the nation in soybean production, second in corn production, number one in pumpkin production. We’re number five in pork production. We need a Farm Bill and this got us across the finish line. I hope the Senate will follow our lead and pass it in a bipartisan way.”
The House version of the Farm Bill does not include a measure allowing year-round availability of the winter blend of E-15 gasoline with ethanol. LaHood supports the idea and is optimistic it will be included in future legislation.
“We tried to get it attached to the Farm Bill, but we couldn’t reach agreement on that. So it’ll be done separately, but I think there’s strong support. I know President Trump supports it, many of my Democrat colleagues support it. It’ll be great for our corn farmers.
“Having E-15 year round permanently in statute is going to help our corn farmers, help the environment and have another source of alternative fuel. I have nine ethanol plants that touch my district, several of them here in the Peoria area. This will equal more jobs, more economic opportunities, and help make the environment cleaner.”
