Date: 2003-09-04
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman. first of all. I want to speak against that amendment. and I want to begin by thanking the gentleman from New York and the other 220 Members of the House of Representatives that sent a letter to the Committee on Appropriations seeking full funding for Amtrjik. But the Republican leadership and this Bush administration do not care what we. the people. think. Just like the reauthorization of TEA21. which would improve our crumbling transportation infrastructure and put millions of people back to work. the issue concerning Amtrak brings up a fundamental question as to where this Nation stands on public transportation. We have an opportunity to improve a system that serves our need for passenger rail service. or we can let it fall apart and leave this countrys travellers and business with absolutely no alternatie forms of public transportation. We could fund this Nations entire passenger rail system for a year with the money that we spend in just one week in Iraq. Let me repeat that. We could fund this Nations entire passenger rail system for a year with the money we spend in just one week in Iraq. But I guess the House leadership and the Republican administration have decided it is more important to fund the needs of the Iraqi people than the citizens right here in America. 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. Last year alone. we provided $18 billion in direct funding to the airline industry. Let me repeat that. Last year alone. we provided $18 billion in direct funding to the airline industry. On November 12. 2001. I was in New York when American Airlines flight 587 crashed shortly after taking off from JFK Airport. creating a national panic and shutting down the entire city. For-. tunately for me and many Members of Congress who ended up at Penn Station that day. Amtrak was still running and returned us safely to Washington to deal with this latest tragedy. I realized. once again. Just how important Amtrak is to the American people and how important it is for this Nation to have alternative modes of transportation. This issue is 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. Some people think the solution to the problem is to privatize the system. If we privatize. we would see the same thing we saw when we deregulated the airlines. Only the lucrative routes will be maintained. and routes in rural locations will be expensive and few. Once again. we see the Bush administrations "too little too late policy." I am surprised they have not suggested a tax cut to solve this problem. Instead. they are trying to take the money from the hard working Amtrak employees. who day and night work to provide top quality service to their passengers. These folks are trying to make a living for their families. and they do not deserve the shabby treatment from the President. It is time for the Bush administration to step up to the plate and make a decision about Amtrak based on what is best for the traveling public and not what is best for the right wing of the Republican party and the bean counters at OMB. This is not about fiscal policy. This is about providing a safe and reliable public transportation system that the citizens of this Nation need and deserve. Let us stop this crisis now before it is too late.