[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 86 (Tuesday, June 25, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5995-S5996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IMMEDIATE ACTION FOR AMTRAK

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the Nation faces a transportation crisis. 
Amtrak, the country's passenger rail service, is running out of dough--
D-O-U-G-H--money, that green stuff, funds, what makes the cash 
registers ring, funds, and its passengers are running out of time. 
Without an infusion of funding quickly, Amtrak will stop all operations 
within the next very few days.
  If Amtrak closes, the Nation's transportation system will be thrown 
into chaos. All of Amtrak's 68,000 daily riders will be without 
service. Thousands of vacation passengers who have already paid money 
for Amtrak tickets will be left stranded at the station. Commuter 
railroads from East to West will be completely shut down.
  For example, Washington's Union Station is just a few blocks from 
this Capitol. None of the Maryland or Virginia commuter rail trains 
will be able to access Union Station. Why? Because Amtrak owns the 
station. The Virginia trains will not operate at all because Amtrak 
runs the trains.
  The commuter rail authorities in Philadelphia, New York City, and in 
many parts of New Jersey will stop running. Why? Why will they stop 
running? Because Amtrak provides the electricity for those trains to 
operate.
  Access to Penn Station in New York City the single busiest rail 
station in the country will be limited. Why? Because Amtrak already has 
mortgaged away parts of that station.
  In Boston, tens of thousands of commuters daily rely on Amtrak 
because it operates commuter lines under contract with the State of 
Massachusetts. Those commuters will have to find a new way to get to 
work. Why? Because their trains will not be running.
  Out West, in California, all ``Caltrains'' service will be halted. 
Why? Why, I ask? Because Amtrak operates those trains. That is why. The 
same can be said for the ``Sounder Commuter Rail Service'' in Seattle.
  Without Amtrak service, these passengers will take to the highways 
and

[[Page S5996]]

the airways. The traffic jams that are already difficult to navigate 
will grow by thousands, tens of thousands of cars. How would you like 
that? The airways between Boston, New York, and Washington already 
comprise the most congested airspace in the entire country. The air 
traffic control system cannot simply absorb dozens of additional 
flights during peak business travel times.
  Mr. President, the July 4th holiday is almost upon us. As the 
celebrations approach, the warnings for potential terrorist attacks 
grow louder. We should heed those warnings and ensure that Amtrak stays 
open. Amtrak has a vital homeland security role. The railroad is a 
viable transportation alternative to highways and airways. To allow 
Amtrak to close its doors now, when the terrorist threats and the 
attack warnings come almost daily, would be irresponsible, wouldn't it? 
It seems to me it would be. To take away the safety net for the 
traveling public would be foolhardy, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it be? I 
would think so.
  We also must consider the ramifications to the Nation's economy if 
Amtrak is allowed to file for bankruptcy. Immediately, more than 20,000 
Amtrak employees would lose their jobs. That is 20,000 families without 
paychecks, 20,000 families without health care benefits. Thousands more 
jobs at commuter lines, suppliers, and vendors would be in jeopardy. In 
the blink of an eye, the Nation's economy would be dealt a devastating 
blow in States from coast to coast. With the economy in a precarious 
state as it is, with the markets fluctuating by the day, it makes no 
sense--none--to allow Amtrak to close.
  With the support of the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations 
Committee, Senator Stevens of Alaska, I have proposed, in our 
discussions with House conferees on the supplemental appropriations 
bill, that the supplemental appropriations bill, currently pending in 
conference, include at least $205 million for Amtrak to keep trains 
running through the end of the fiscal year. With the looming crisis 
facing the Nation's passenger rail service, we should insist that this 
funding for Amtrak be part of the final version of the bill, hopefully 
to be considered by Congress this week.
  The Senate included $55 million for Amtrak emergency repairs in its 
version of the supplemental bill which passed on June 7 by an 
overwhelming margin of 71 to 22. The House did not include any funds 
for Amtrak in its bill. The conference report on the supplemental bill 
would build on the package already approved by the Senate and provide 
sufficient funding to keep Amtrak on track through the end of this 
fiscal year.
  Last week, Amtrak's new president, David Gunn, testified before the 
Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee. At that hearing, Mr. 
Gunn said:

       The urgency of this is enormous. We are very near the point 
     of no return.

  Those are not Robert Byrd's words. They are the words of Mr. David 
Gunn, new president of Amtrak. Let me repeat them:

       The urgency of this is enormous. We are very near the point 
     of no return.

  In the days since that hearing, there has been no news that I know 
about to change Mr. Gunn's assessment of the situation. Amtrak's board 
of directors has been involved in discussions with Transportation 
Secretary Norman Mineta and the Federal Railroad Administration. But 
the national administration, instead of stepping up to the plate and 
providing Amtrak with the funding that it needs, has pushed for a half-
way approach that only delays the crisis.
  I have spoken with Secretary Mineta. I have spoken with President 
Gunn. Following those conversations, it is clear that the best 
alternative is an emergency appropriation of $205 million. That is cash 
on the barrel head. There is no time for creative accounting. There is 
no time for posturing. There is no time for so-called reforms. We can 
talk about reforms and improvements later, but we cannot reform a dead 
railroad. Amtrak needs help. It needs help now.
  Last September, when the nation's airline industry was shut down, to 
whom did Americans turn for transportation? To Amtrak. Since then, 
Amtrak's ridership has continued to increase, with record numbers of 
Americans turning to passenger rail service. At a time when the Nation 
is turning to Amtrak, the Federal Government should not turn its back.
  On September 21, after just a few hours of debate, Senators approved 
$15 billion for the airline industry. Of those funds, $10 billion was 
made available in loan guarantees and $5 billion in cash for emergency 
grants. Few questions were asked. The airlines needed this infusion; 
the airlines got it. Congress acted; the administration acted. We 
should do the same now.
  We did not blink when the airline industry faced a financial crisis. 
The administration did not urge grand reforms of the airline industry 
in order to qualify for these funds. Congress did not urge grand 
reforms of the airline industry in order to qualify for these funds. 
When asked for help, when the need was clear, Congress and the 
administration provided help to the airlines. We ought to show the same 
leadership for the Nation's rail passengers and employees.
  The truth of the matter is that none of this has to happen. We can 
provide a short-term immediate solution for Amtrak to carry it through 
the fiscal year by enacting the proposal I have made, with the support 
of Senator Stevens, in the supplemental appropriations conference, for 
$205 million in the supplemental appropriations bill.
  I have joined with more than 40 Senators to urge President Bush to 
support the $205 million supplemental appropriation. As the letter 
states: The Nation's economy and the Nation's morale have suffered 
enough since September 11. Allowing the Nation's passenger rail service 
to shut down would idle more than 20,000 employees and throw the lives 
of tens of thousands of passengers into disarray. The administration 
and Congress must not allow this to happen.
  Quite simply, Amtrak is vital. It is vital to those Americans who 
rely on Amtrak for their daily commute to and from work. It is vital to 
those Americans who use Amtrak for their vacation travel. It is vital 
to thousands of rail employees. It is vital to our Nation's homeland 
security. Congress should move ahead with an emergency appropriation 
for Amtrak and stave off the bankruptcy that would result in absolute 
chaos for the Nation's transportation network and would give certitude 
and assurance to Amtrak that the Federal Government, Congress, and the 
administration do not intend to let it happen to Amtrak; that the 
Federal Government, that Congress and the administration, stand ready 
to act, and act quickly. The administration and the congressional 
leadership should support the addition of $205 million in the 
supplemental appropriations bill for Amtrak.
  I yield the floor.

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