[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 83 (Thursday, June 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5821-S5822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 AMTRAK

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I take the floor to alert my colleagues in 
the Senate and those who are following this debate that at a hearing 
this afternoon before the Transportation Subcommittee----
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, may we have order in the Senate?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will be in order. The Senator will 
suspend.
  The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Thank you, Mr. President. I am glad my colleague, the 
Senator from West Virginia, is in the Chamber because he attended this 
hearing. He may not have been present when the questions came. We asked 
the administrator of Amtrak what was ahead in the days to follow. At 
this moment in time, Amtrak needs $200 million interim financing to 
continue operations across America. Mr. Gunn, who testified before 
Chairman Patty Murray's Transportation Subcommittee, alerted us this 
afternoon that unless the interim financing of $200 million is secured 
by Wednesday of next week, Amtrak will cease all operations--all 
operations--not scaled back but cease all operations.
  Mr. Gunn explained it was necessary in order for them to park the 
trains, take the precautions necessary to guard them, and to prepare 
for the ultimate shutdown, which could begin as early as the middle of 
next week.

[[Page S5822]]

  We then asked Mr. Rutter, who is the head of the Federal Railroad 
Administration, what was the status of the Amtrak request for $200 
million. He alerted us that they were in the process of evaluating it, 
and he believed they would be able to get back to Amtrak with the 
answer early next week.
  If you will do the math, you will understand we are talking about 24 
to 48 hours separating the decision by the Bush administration on 
interim financing for Amtrak and the suspension of all Amtrak service 
across the United States.
  I said to Mr. Gunn that I believed we had a moral obligation to 
notify Governors across the United States with Amtrak service of this 
looming transportation disaster. Let me say for many of us who believe 
in Amtrak and national passenger rail service that it is absolutely 
disgraceful that we have reached this point.
  At some point, this administration should have stepped forward to 
work with Congress to make certain that Amtrak service was not in 
jeopardy. Now we face the very real possibility of a disastrous 
transportation situation as early as next week.
  We heard this morning from Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, a 
speech he gave to the Chamber of Commerce about his vision of the 
future of Amtrak. It is a vision which is not new. It is the same 
vision that Margaret Thatcher had in England when she took a look at 
British rail service and decided to privatize it, to separate it, and 
to try to take a different route. It turned out to be a complete 
failure--not only a failure in the terms of the reliability of service 
but a failure in terms of safety.
  The administration's proposal on Amtrak is a disaster waiting to 
happen. It is literally a train wreck when it comes to the future of 
national passenger rail service.
  If you believe, as I do, that our Nation should seek energy security, 
that we should try to find modes of transportation to reduce pollution 
and traffic congestion, which is getting progressively worse and we 
can't ignore it, then we cannot and should not walk away from Amtrak.
  This administration's position at this point is going to create a 
crisis in transportation. We need to maintain not only the very best 
highways and the safest airports in America, but we need national 
passenger rail service. We need leadership in the White House and at 
Amtrak with a vision of how to turn that rail service in the 21st 
century into something that we can point to with pride and 
effectiveness.
  We don't have that today. Mr. Gunn has been drawn out of retirement 
and has been heading Amtrak for just a few weeks. This didn't occur on 
his watch. He is a competent administrator who wants the resources to 
make Amtrak work. Instead, what this administration has given him is a 
doomsday scenario where literally Amtrak service could be terminated 
across America next week. What it means for the Northeast corridor is 
probably a dramatic change in terms of the way the families and 
businesses would have to operate. What it means in my home State of 
Illinois is that thousands of passengers and thousands of employees 
will have their future and their transportation in jeopardy. It didn't 
have to reach this point, but it has.
  I sincerely hope my colleagues will join me in urging the Bush White 
House to respond tomorrow--not next week but tomorrow--favorably for 
financing of Amtrak so we can tell the Governors across America that 
this emergency is not going to happen.
  I yield the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine is recognized.
  (The remarks of Ms. Collins pertaining to the introduction of S. 2662 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Johnson). The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may proceed 
as in morning business for not to exceed 6 minutes.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I shall 
not object, of course, but I think there was a unanimous consent 
agreement previously that had me following the Senator from Maine with 
10 minutes. If I might inquire about the timing here.
  Is the Senator from Michigan going to speak after the Senator from 
Virginia?
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am a cosponsor with the Senator from 
Maine on this legislation. I can reduce my time to 3 minutes.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator 
from Virginia be given 6 minutes, if this is all right with Senator 
Dorgan, and then Senator Dorgan be recognized to proceed as in morning 
business.
  Mr. DORGAN. Yes, I think by previous unanimous consent.
  Mr. LEVIN. For 10 minutes, as in morning business.
  Mr. DORGAN. I certainly would not object to the Senator from Virginia 
being recognized if I am recognized as previously agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. I thank my good friend for his usual and customary 
senatorial courtesy.
  (The remarks of Mr. Warner pertaining to the introduction of S. 2662 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the two leaders are going to confer in a few 
minutes. How much longer is the order in effect to have morning 
business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Twenty-five minutes.
  Mr. REID. From this point?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes.
  Mr. REID. That should be ample time. The two leaders should be back 
by then. The two managers of the bill will have an announcement at 20 
till, 25 till.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I follow 
the Senator from North Dakota in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from North Dakota.

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