Rehberg Fights Cuts to Amtrak Funding; Urges Funding in 2006 Budget Resolution

Rehberg Fights Cuts to Amtrak Funding; Urges Funding in 2006 Budget Resolution
March 9, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Concerned over the elimination of Amtrak funding by President Bush, Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is putting pressure on the House Budget Committee to restore funding for passenger rail in the Fiscal Year 2006 budget resolution, which will be debated by Congress next week.

"Montana needs the Empire Builder service, and I'm determined to make sure it stays. Not only are we not going to let them pull the plug on Amtrak, but we're also sending them a message to stop this game of trying to cut Amtrak out of the budget every year," Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said. "We need to reform Amtrak so that it operates efficiently and provides good service, but that will never happen if we completely eliminate federal funding before Amtrak has a chance to survive on its own."

In a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, Rehberg disputed the need for funding cuts, saying the 2004 release of Amtrak's five year Strategic Plan specifies that approximately $1.8 billion would be required for fiscal year 2006.

"We have to remember that Montana is a huge, rural state, with nearly a million people that don't have access to the kind of transportation choices that most everyone else in this country has," Rehberg said. "Let's get real here, we can't just zero-out federal operating funding for a rail system that employs 20,000 people, carries 25 million passengers on 22,000 miles of track every year, and has operating agreements with hundreds of daily intercity trains."

LETTER ATTACHED

Dear Chairman Nussle:

We are writing to express our opposition to language in the fiscal year 2006 budget resolution that would cut Amtrak's annual funding. While we share your desire to develop a fiscally responsible budget blueprint, we believe the President's proposed zeroing-out of funding for Amtrak would be a dangerous step backwards in our efforts to improve the efficiency of passenger rail.

Amtrak's 5-year Strategic Plan, which was approved by its Board of Directors on June 10, 2004, specifies that approximately $1.8 billion will be required for fiscal year 2006. Last year, the President sought $900 million for Amtrak in fiscal year 2005 and budgeted $1.4 billion for each year thereafter. According to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service, both the now defunct Amtrak Reform Council and the DOT-IG acknowledge the need for at least $1.5 billion in capital and operating support. Seeking no funds for direct Amtrak expenses and ceding control of the railroad to a bankruptcy trustees, whose legal responsibility is to Amtrak's creditors, represents a drastic and unrealistic turnaround in the Administration's policy.

The government directly or indirectly subsidizes all transportation in the United States, and rail gets the least support. Unlike aviation, highways, and transit, there is no dedicated fund for investing in passenger rail development. These other modes all operate on predominantly federally owned or federally assisted infrastructure, and rely on government-supported security, research and traffic controllers. While we are willing to listen to new proposals for reforming passenger rail, we are concerned over the implications of a budget resolution that would cut Amtrak's operating subsidies and effectively strand millions of passengers.

For this reason, we ask that you provide sufficient funding in the fiscal year 2006 Budget Resolution to sustain Amtrak's national network of passenger rail service. The company is headed in the right direction ant is our duty to continue to provide Americans with effective and environmentally friendly transportation options.

Please consider our request for adequate funding for Amtrak in preparing the Budget Resolution. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Rep. Denny Rehberg (MT), Rep. Mike Castle (DE- AL), Rep. Steve LaTourette (OH-14), Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (NY-24), Rep Rob Simmons (CT-2), Rep. John Sweeney (NY-20), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2), Rep. Tim Johnson (IL-15), Rep. Todd Platts (PA-19), Rep. Curt Weldon (PA-7), Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18), Rep. Peter King (NY-3), Rep. Jim Saxton (NJ-3), Rep. Jim Walsh (NY-25), Rep. Phil English (PA-3), Rep. Jerry Weller (IL-11), Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6), Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-8), Rep. John McHugh (NY-23), Rep Sue Kelly (NY-19), Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04).

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/mt00_rehberg/030905_Amtrak.html