Amendment to Defund Amtrak

Jun. 9, 2014 | H.R. 4745

This amendment undermines Amtrak's ability to provide the rail service upon which passengers and communities have come to rely. Rep. Paul Broun's amendment would arbitrarily cut Amtrak's operating funding by $34 million. The base bill already makes unacceptable cuts to Amtrak's capital budget, endangering the efficiency of the system and delaying urgently needed improvements to infrastructure and rail cars that are urgently needed. This amendment is particularly ill-advised at a time when Amtrak is setting ridership records year after year and recent polling shows that the railroad has broad public support across the country. The amendment was rejected.