Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Following a one-hour meeting at Trump Tower with President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta said the two discussed the Cabinet position of labor secretary.
“I will consider what we talked about,” Barletta said in a brief meeting with reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower.
Barletta and Trump “had a good conversation,” the congressman from Hazleton said, discussing everything from a top-level Cabinet post to Trump’s impressive victory in the Nov. 8 general election and Pennsylvania’s role in that win.
During a telephone conversation after the meeting, Barletta said he will take a couple of days to contemplate the proposed appointment to a Cabinet post. “I want to take a good look at it and look into the Department of Labor,” Barletta said. “I intend to weigh my options – whether I could help President-elect Trump more as Secretary of Labor in his Cabinet or as a member of Congress.”
Barletta said his position in the U.S. House of Representatives will be considerably strengthened by having the support of President Trump.
Barletta reiterated that he loves representing the people of the 11th Congressional District, and that’s why he will give the decision careful consideration. “I want to weigh all the options,” Barletta said. “And then I will decide where I would be the most beneficial.”
If Barletta becomes the labor secretary nominee, he would have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. All Cabinet members are nominated by the president and then presented to the Senate for confirmation or rejection by a simple majority vote.
Regarding details of how Trump proposed the offer, Barletta said he prefers to keep that conversation confidential.
“We have formed a great relationship,” he said. “I am sincerely honored that President-elect Trump would have that kind of confidence in me.”
Jeff Sheridan, press secretary for Gov. Tom Wolf, explained the process that would unfold if Barletta accepts Trump’s offer and is confirmed as labor secretary.
“The election code says the governor must call a special election within 10 days of the effective date of the resignation, and an election cannot be held before 60 days from the day the governor sets the date,” Sheridan said in an email.
Barletta said the conversation at Trump Tower also touched upon moving Trump’s ideas forward.
“We talked about the role I will play in helping him implement his ideas, whether it be in Congress, as secretary of labor or something else,” Barletta said.
Barletta, 60, told reporters that he and Trump discussed Trump’s infrastructure plan, as well as “making sure there’s a smooth transition.”
The Associated Press reported that Barletta said he and Trump did not discuss the president-elect’s recent tweets. Asked if Trump should stop tweeting, Barletta said, “Well, it’s his way of talking to the people, and he’s got a lot of people listening.”
Barletta is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and chairs the panel that oversees federal management of emergencies and natural disasters. He also serves on the House committees on Homeland Security, and Education and the Workforce.
On Nov. 8, Barletta, a former mayor of Hazleton, easily won re-election to a fourth term in Congress.
After the election, Barletta said during his time on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, he helped to save more than $3 billion for the taxpayers.
