[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 AMTRAK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to speak on a 
very real national crisis we will face if we fail to fully and properly 
fund Amtrak. Contrary to the administration's rhetoric, this is not a 
case of the boy who cried wolf or Chicken Little claiming the sky is 
falling. Make no mistake, an Amtrak shutdown for any length of time, 
however temporary, will be disastrous for this country, not only for 
interstate business/leisure travel but for daily commuter travel as 
well.
  In my home State of Massachusetts, Amtrak is under contract with the 
Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority to provide commuter rail service 
to thousands upon thousands of working people who depend on Amtrak to 
get to and from their jobs each and every day. An Amtrak shutdown will 
paralyze our mobility and the economy right along with it. These 
commuters will be forced on to already overcongested highways, 
exacerbating public safety problems and adding to environmental 
pollution.
  The worst part of the situation, Mr. Speaker, that we find ourselves 
facing is that the solution has been known to the administration for 
months. Amtrak's management has clearly and consistently said that 
Amtrak will have to shut down if the administration does not take 
swift, deliberate action to provide the $200 million it needs to 
operate in the short term.
  The administration's response to this imminent crisis has been to do 
nothing, absolutely nothing, nothing but posture and engage in a 
reckless game of brinksmanship. The administration continues to cling 
to the myths promoted by the Amtrak Reform Commission that 
privatization of many of the lines is necessary. We all know that 
privatization of our rail system will not work, and if anyone has any 
doubt about that, they should call our friends in Great Britain where 
delays and safety problems are rampant due to privatization.
  We also know that none of our transportation systems operate without 
Federal support. In fiscal year 2001, our highways received more than 
$33 billion in Federal funding. The airline industry received $13 
billion in regular funding and a $15 billion bailout. In the same 
fiscal year, Amtrak received $521 million, which represents less than 1 
percent of all Federal transportation spending and far less than the 
$1.2 billion it needs to properly operate.

                              {time}  1900

  Nevertheless, on the eve of a national crisis, the administration has 
said that it does not want to go above last year's funding level for 
Amtrak.
  Mr. Speaker, instead of walking away from Amtrak, instead of turning 
our backs on the men and women who work for Amtrak, this administration 
should be running to invest in a national passenger inner city rail 
system to complement our aviation and highway systems. Rail is regarded 
as the cheapest, most energy-efficient, environmentally sound, 
comfortable and reliable mode of travel. It is the preferred mode of 
travel by thousands and thousands of Americans. Ridership in this 
country is rapidly increasing, and the potential is unlimited. America 
deserves a first-rate passenger rail system; and accordingly, Amtrak 
deserves to be fairly funded, both now and in the future.
  Therefore, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4545 to 
keep Amtrak and America moving forward; and I urge the Bush 
administration to stop the politics, to stop the posturing and do the 
right thing: give Amtrak the resources it needs to run.

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