WASHINGTON \u2013 The Republican leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will introduce legislation July 8 to slash Amtrak\u2019s federal subsidy by 25 percent, prevent federal funds from being used to create additional rail passenger services unless they are high-speed projects, and cut\u00a0federal transit funding by 30 percent.<\/p>\n
Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), and Rail Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) have previously made known their dislike for Amtrak and intention to destroy the national intercity rail passenger network through funding cuts and privatization of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.<\/p>\n
The senior Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia, put the Mica\/Shuster legislation in perspective: \u201cThe bill, as we have seen so far, cannot pass the [Democratic-controlled Senate].”<\/p>\n
Opposition to the bill also is being voiced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has joined with the AFL-CIO to lobby against it. The UTU’s National Legislative Office already is working with members in the House and Senate against Amtrak and transit funding cuts.<\/p>\n
Amtrak funding has previously and regularly been in the crosshairs of its detractors, and another tough fight is brewing. On Amtrak\u2019s — and transit’s — side are tens of millions of Americans who continue to make clear to their elected congressional lawmakers that they want more, not less, rail passenger and transit service.<\/p>\n
The proposed cuts for Amtrak and transit are contained in a six-year bill entitled, \u201cThe Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, or SAFETEA-LU.\u201d Senate Democratic leaders are pushing for a two-year bill that would be more generous toward Amtrak and transit \u2013 although at lower spending levels than sought by the Obama administration.<\/p>\n
The House bill would also extend the deadline beyond 2015 for implementation of positive train control (PTC).<\/p>\n
The bill also would remove a federal requirement that states use Highway Trust Fund revenue for non-highway transportation purposes, such as mass transit; but would allow states to make such decisions unilaterally.<\/p>\n
There are, however, provisions in the House bill that have been sought by the UTU \u2013 and those provisions are expected to survive. They include:<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2013 The Republican leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will introduce legislation July 8 to slash Amtrak\u2019s federal subsidy by 25 percent, prevent federal funds from being used to create additional rail passenger services unless they are high-speed projects, and cut\u00a0federal transit funding by 30 percent. Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,45,33,300,9,200,18,25],"tags":[158,574,108,1160,525,1117,1118,533],"member_types":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n