[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4864-H4865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 AMTRAK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Once again in the Subcommittee on 
Transportation of the Committee on Appropriations, we see Amtrak being 
treated like an ugly stepchild of this Nation's transportation system.
  If we are wondering why only 19 percent of the American people feel 
that the Congress is in tune with their priorities, the cuts in Amtrak 
is one blatant reason why.
  Yesterday we passed a $408 billion defense appropriations bill, and 
it did not even include the costs of the war in Iraq. We are cutting 
Amtrak routes to local governments throughout the United States that 
have no other form of public transportation. We are spending $1 billion 
a week in Iraq, $4 billion a month, but this administration zeroes out 
funding for Amtrak, and the Committee on Appropriations does not even 
give them enough money to operate the Northeast corridor.
  Just one week's investment in Iraq would significantly improve 
passenger rail for the entire country for an entire year. The current 
funding issue concerning Amtrak brings up a fundamental question as to 
where this Nation stands on public transportation. We have an 
opportunity to improve the system that serves our needs for passenger 
rail service, or we can let it fall apart and leave this country's 
travelers and businessmen with absolutely no alternative forms of 
public transportation.

                              {time}  1745

  Without the funding Amtrak needs to keep operating, we will soon see 
people that rely on Amtrak to get to work each day waiting for a train 
that is not coming.
  We continue to subsidize highways and aviation; but when it comes to 
our passenger rail system, we refuse to provide the money Amtrak needs 
to survive.
  This issue is much bigger than just transportation. This is about 
safety and national security. Not only should we be giving Amtrak the 
money it needs to continue to provide services; we should be providing 
security money to upgrade their tracks and improve safety and security 
measures in the entire rail system.
  Once again, we see the Bush administration paying for its failed 
policies by cutting funds to vital public services and jeopardizing 
more American jobs.
  It is time for this administration to step up to the plate and make a 
decision about Amtrak based on what is best for the traveling public, 
not what is best for the right wing of the Republican Party and the 
bean counters at OMB.
  I represent central Florida, which depends on tourists for its 
economic survival. We need people to be able to get to the State and 
enjoy it. Ever since September 11, more and more people are turning 
from the airlines to Amtrak; and they deserve safe and dependable 
service.
  This is just one example of Amtrak's impact on my State. Amtrak runs 
four long distance trains from Florida, employing 990 residents, with 
wages totaling over $43 million, who purchased

[[Page H4865]]

over $13 million in goods and services last year. They are doing the 
same thing in every State that they run in.
  Some people think the solution to the problem is privatizing the 
system. If we privatize, we will see the same thing we saw when we 
deregulated the airline industry. Only the lucrative routes will be 
maintained and routes to rural locations will be expensive and few.
  I was in New York shortly after September 11 when the plane leaving 
JFK airport crashed into the Bronx. I, along with many of my colleagues 
in both the House and Senate, took Amtrak back to Washington. I 
realized once again just how important Amtrak is to the American people 
and how important it is for the Nation to have alternative modes of 
transportation.
  This is not about fiscal policy. This is about providing a safe and 
reliable public transportation system that the citizens of this country 
need and deserve.
  I am asking all of my colleagues to join me and support the full 
funding of Amtrak.

                          ____________________