Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006
TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, THE JUDICIARY, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (House of Representatives - June 29, 2005)
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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), ranking member, and the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Knollenberg) for their work on a bill that happens to include the District of Columbia in this new consolidated appropriation. The chairman and the ranking member are making their debut, and I want to congratulate them on being in on time on one of the most complicated bills because it has many unrelated issues, and yet they have worked very collegially together.
I want to speak only briefly to three items. The least important part of the bill for every Member but me is the District of Columbia section. I appreciate the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) and the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman KNOLLENBERG), who was once Chair, both of whom worked with the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia and the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman KNOLLENBERG) as a recent past Chair, for the way they have worked with the
Committee on Rules to give us a rule that will just let this bill pass through as the least important part of what they are doing here today. I particularly respect the self-government respect they have shown to our city. The Mayor and the police chief were here yesterday. There will be a point of order regarding a matter on gun safety, and I think that that should simply take care of it.
On CDBG I was very pleased to hear the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman KNOLLENBERG) say he was trying to do what he can, because it must be hard to find a Member in this body who is not with us on this program, which has been so productive for large and small cities alone. All we see around us in the new economic development in the District of Columbia has been aided by the CDBG.
Amtrak is before us. It is perhaps the most controversial part of this bill. I am supporting the amendment to add funds and have myself, out of one of our authorizing bills, contributed funds out of one of our appropriations. That is just how important it is to me. But not just important to me, of course. Union Station is the second busiest behind New York. But what is important to Members of this House is the 500 stations and the 46 States that would essentially be left with the present level of funding with no Amtrak.
I ask Members to remember that no country in the world is able to run a railroad privately. This claptrap about the private sector and the States, I draw to their attention the only reason we have Amtrak at all is that in 1970 the private sector came and literally dumped it on the Congress, saying, We cannot run this; we lose too much money.
Railroads are first and foremost the responsibility of great nations. This is our responsibility. We cannot just hand it back to them. They cannot do it. If we cannot do it with a profit, why in the world do we think that the States, which are running to us screaming about Medicaid and other unfunded mandates, can do it?
I thank the gentlemen for all their work on this bill.
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