When the Louisiana congressional delegation publicly demanded a
staggering $250 billion from the government to rebuild the Gulf
Coast after Hurricane Katrina, the move completely backfired. It
angered G.O.P. conservatives, who then spent the next two months
pushing for cuts in the budget and ignoring Louisiana and
Mississippi. But then Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran got tough
on behalf of his state. In a closed-door meeting last December,
several Republican Senators were talking about how to pass quickly a
key bill that would provide money for the Defense Department so
lawmakers could head home for the holidays. Cochran simply announced
that "this bill won't pass" unless it includes money for the Gulf
Coast.
As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which
decides how Congress doles out money, Cochran wields considerable
power on Capitol Hill, particularly on budget issues. But along with
that post, Cochran has gained the trust of the Administration and
Capitol Hill for his quiet, courtly manner that is evident whether he is playing the
piano in his office or using his experience and mastery of the
issues to persuade his colleagues privately rather than making
demands on them in public. "I don't call lots of news
conferences," Cochran says. "I just don't see that as a necessary
part of my responsibilities."
On Katrina, Cochran, along with other Gulf Coast lawmakers,
created a detailed list of the region's essential needs that
totaled about $35 billion. He then had dozens of meetings with other
lawmakers, emphasizing how badly the region needed the money but
never publicly blasting Congress for moving too slowly. In the end,
he got $29 billion out of his colleagues, almost double the money
Bush and Congressional leaders had initially pledged.
Cochran, first elected in 1976, is often overshadowed in
Washington by the junior Senator from his state, the ambitious and
often controversial Trent Lott. But Cochran, 68, has carved several
niches for himself, including becoming one of the few Senators well
versed on farm policy. "He doesn't get a whole lot of play in
terms of coverage," says a senior G.O.P. Senator, "but he is
effectively stubborn doing what needs to be done."