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House transportation bill would cut Amtrak operating funds
Cut funding to an entity that provides a valuable and increasingly popular service while making our highways more dangerous by allowing heavier loads and triple trailers. Good idea.
Wonder why the Republicans are doing this in an election year? There can’t be any votes in this, are there, Mitt?
Here we go again with funding to Amtrak, Congress just passed the airlines FAA bill for 63 Billion dollars for next 4 years on Tues, and picking on poor old Amtrak again.
No subsidies to any businesses. It’s simply not Constitutional (lawful).
“…and terminates the Capital Grants program for Class II and Class III Railroads”
This is a horrible idea. Those railroads rely heavily on federal grants, and if their funding dries up, many would go under. The result would be an influx of trucks making up for the resulting lack of rail service. Even better, they would be even heavier trucks!
The usual tactic is LD train blackmail. Amtrak lists the train-offs that will occur from the budget cuts. Senators get indignant. Money show ups. There is never a serious attempt to make Amtrak get lean and mean. They are a bloated, inefficient mess of a railroad. Bidding out the food service? Good. The tip of the iceberg.
Just remember, this is the outfit, that in the midst of a traffic surge, went out and ordered some new equipment…baggage cars!
I REALLY want passenger service to stay around. I’m just afraid what Amtrak really wants is for Amtrak to stay around. They are not necessarily the same thing, unfortunately.
Nickels and Dimes Polka. Considered the greatest nation on earth? Harrumph harrumph! (pause) I didn’t get a harrumph out of you! - Blazing Saddles. This is comedy.
Al Miller sums it up nicely. This may be the only year since Kennedy ran against Goldwater that I will vote for a Democrat. I’m sure to vote against all incumbants except for Ron Paul.
Remember, politicians and diapers need to be changed for the same reason.
A vote for Republicans this election year is a vote for no Amtrak and for bigger heavier trucks on the highways.
I agree with all the above, who wants 97,000 lbs to hit a car.
When are we going to get rid of these damned Republican obstructionists! They keep America from becoming a better and bigger country by misplaceing legislation and funds for infrastructure and transportation improvements which will actually bring us into the 21st Century!
They shouldn’t be setting higher weight limits for trucks. They should be reducing them, and banning muti-trailer trucks altogether.
Just another instance of what a poor job the passenger rail advocacy movement has done. In a time of record passenger numbers the message still is not being heard. Paying dues to such organizations is truly wasting one’s money.
How about a bill to cut funding of the House and Senate.
It’s all so old and tired. These guys never get it. Never have and never will. Sadly, maybe it’s time to end Amtrak, and just give all the $ to air and highways. It’s what they’re determined to do it seems, so maybe just do it and get it over with. John R
Once again a short-sighted, dumb move. Record ridership must mean nothing.
This bill is DOA in the senate. It will need to be reconciled with whatever the senate produces, then it will go to a conference committee long before ot goes to Baraq’s desk. This bill is the GOP offer on the table before the confrence committee. We do not know what the Democrats in the Senate will put on the table yet.
Year after year the same nickel-and-dime approach to passenger rail. Please veto this bill if it passes.
Any chance of the loser Mica being replaced in the November elections? The guy hasn’t a brain in his head.
Amtrak ridership continues to grow, but let’s cut funding to it. That’s really smart; not!
Mica must be in the pocket of the trucking and oil companies because he sure favors less environmentally and less fuel efficient forms of transportation over more energy efficient means.
Maybe we can put him in that rocket ship Newt wants to use to build space colonies on the moon and leave him there.