(The Associated Press circulated the following on June 9.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House on Monday threatened to veto legislation funding Amtrak for the next five years, saying House members did not include language in the bill making the railroad more accountable for its decisions.
House legislation would authorize more than $14 billion and set up a program of federal matching grants that states could use to set up or expand rail service.
The bill “authorizes an unprecedented level of funding but does not include basic measures to hold Amtrak accountable to taxpayers for its spending decisions,” the Bush administration said in a statement.
For example, the measure “provides scant opportunity for competition on existing Amtrak routes and does not include provisions that would condition Amtrak’s funding based on progress on reforms,” the White House said.
Amtrak funding has been an annual sticking point between the Bush administration, which has pushed for ending Amtrak subsidies and eliminating unprofitable lines, and supporters in Congress who argue that there’s no major national railway in the world operating without government subsidies.
The bill is expected to come before the full House soon.
The bill is H.R. 6003.