(The following story by Tom Belden appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on February 7.)
PHILADELPHIA — The Bush Administration proposed today to eliminate virtually all funding for Amtrak, drawing an angry reaction and forecasts of failure from political leaders in the Philadelphia area.
Both Democrats and Republicans predicted that federal lawmakers would reject efforts to cut Amtrak’s $1 billion-plus annual subsidies, as they have when Bush and other presidents have tried to kill the passenger-rail service in the past.
“The President from Texas clearly does not understand the needs of the commuters or the economy of New Jersey or the Northeast Corridor,” said Sen. Jon Corzine (D., N.J.). “We have stopped this ill-guided attempt to shut down Amtrak before – and we will again.”
The Bush administration has proposed deep cuts in Amtrak’s budget each year since 2001 and has been rebuffed each time. In the 1980s Amtrak was one of dozens of domestic programs that would have been eliminated or severely trimmed under budget proposals from the Reagan and first Bush administrations.
Last year, Bush requested $900 million for Amtrak while the railroad said it needed $1.8 billion to operate trains, make capital investments and do necessary maintenance on railcars and track. Congress appropriated $1.2 billion for the 2005 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.
Even some of the administration’s supporters in the region said killing Amtrak was unwise.
“These are unacceptable figures,” Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), said of the President’s proposal. “I intend to lead a coalition this year to provide funding for Amtrak. We have to have it.”
Rep. Curt Weldon, a Republican who represents Delaware County, called for better management of Amtrak as a way to reduce its need for subsidies, but said Bush’s proposal was one of several in the budget that Congress would reject.
“While I’m not happy with Amtrak’s management, there’s no way we’re going to eliminate it,” said Weldon, in an interview while he was riding one of the railroad’s trains from New York to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Democrat Chaka Fattah said Amtrak’s fate rests with the President’s party. “The question is how many Republicans will support it,” he said.
Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.), called Bush’s proposal “irresponsible. This budget proposal is a non-starter in Congress.”