[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12835-S12836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               DAVID GUNN

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, last week the Amtrak Board of Directors 
voted to remove Antrak's president, David Gunn. I think that action is 
regrettable, and I commend Mr. Gunn for his leadership during his 3\1/
2\ years at Amtrak's helm.
  Amtrak has always been a money-losing proposition. I am afraid that 
it may always be so. But no one should hold Amtrak's, president 
accountable entirely for this fact. Congress and the administration are 
also accountable. Despite repeated efforts to reauthorize and reform 
this money-losing proposition, we have not had the collective will to 
make the hard decisions that need to be made to finally turn Amtrak 
around--and that includes altering

[[Page S12836]]

Amtrak's route system so that it operates where it actually attracts 
ridership.
  I have known many of Amtrak's presidents over the years and in my 
judgment, David Gunn was one of the most capable. Not only did he hold 
an impressive and lengthy career in the rail industry prior to coming 
out of retirement to take the Amtrak job, I found him to be a man of 
integrity.
  When he testified before hearings I chaired in the Senate Commerce 
Committee, Mr. Gunn didn't mince words. When I first asked him about 
the so-called ``glidepath to self-sufficiency'' which his predecessor 
continually touted, David Gunn didn't hesitate to inform the committee 
that it was a sham.
  Mr. Gunn and I didn't always see eye-to-eye. Indeed, I disagreed 
strongly with his unyielding views about the continuation of Amtrak's 
long distance trains. But I respected the fact that he always spoke his 
views even when it meant he wouldn't be telling people what they wanted 
to hear. He faced head on the many problems with Acela and he was 
committed to getting Amtrak's escalating costs under control. Again, he 
is a man of integrity and I commend him for his service.

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