If Only More Republicans with Higher Visibility and Real Authority Supported This

Frankly, I was shocked to read that a sitting Republican member of Congress stated publicly that he thought that a New Deal-like public jobs program would be a "good idea."  How many hundreds of thousands of people could have been employed in public works and conservation projects, akin to the way our grandparents were during the Great Depression?  I wonder how long it will be before he denies having said it?