SMART statement on proposed cuts to Amtrak funding

The United States House Appropriations Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee has proposed a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill that includes drastic cuts to Amtrak funding. In response, SMART released the following statement:

“The House Appropriations Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee’s proposed bill is dangerous for passenger rail transportation in America because it fails to meet the minimum level of funding necessary for Amtrak to safely operate its trains and maintain its assets. Funding shortages will adversely affect numerous capital projects that are essential to improving infrastructure and passenger rail services throughout our country. The failure to fully fund Amtrak is anti-American: It is an attack on America’s public passenger rail transportation, and it is an attack on working Americans. If Amtrak is not fully funded, it could kill thousands of railroad industry jobs, which will negatively impact our communities. Amtrak is good for our country, and it is good for our economy.”