The Hill Report: Week of June 9 - June 13, 2008

Op-Ed

The Hill Report: Week of June 9 - June 13, 2008

This week in Washington, Congress debated government waste v. fiscal responsibility as a part of the Amtrak Reauthorization bill.

In an era of high gas prices and congested roadways, Amtrak should be serving as an effective contributor for energy and transportation solutions. Unfortunately, after 37 years of government subsidized service, Amtrak has still failed to produce a profitable business model and operate independent of taxpayer dollars. While a few train routes have turned a profit, Amtrak as a whole has for years been mired in fiscal irresponsibility and mismanagement. Last year, Amtrak's net loss was over $1.12 billion—an increase of 5% from the previous year. In March of 2008 alone, Amtrak's net loss was $96 million.

In 1997, a Republican Congress mandated that Amtrak operate without any federal operation assistance after 2002. Now nearly six years past deadline and millions of tax dollars wasted, American taxpayers continue to subsidize Amtrak's inefficiency.

Take, for example, the Sunset Limited—Amtrak's worst performing long-distance route subsidized by the American taxpayer. For the few people who actually buy a ticket on this route, this journey constitutes a 48-hour ordeal from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Amtrak's most recent Performance Report indicates that the Sunset Limited had an astounding loss of 26.3 cents per seat per mile.

While the Sunset Limited is clearly a drain on taxpayers' money, this week I decided to compare prices on consumer cost benefit. According to Amtrak's website, a round-trip ticket on the Sunset Limited would cost $522. In contrast, a bus ticket for a similar trip - leaving on and returning on the same days - would cost only $366 and would take 19 fewer hours to complete.

The Sunset Limited's awful performance figures prove that at the very least it's past time to stop subsidizing the most inefficient and costly Amtrak lines at the expense of American taxpayers. In response, I offered an amendment to end this irresponsible subsidy as a part of the Amtrak authorization bill.

Supported by Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform and the National Taxpayers' Union, my amendment would prevent any taxpayer funds from being used for operating Amtrak's worst-performing long-distance route - namely, the Sunset Limited.

Unfortunately, this Democrat-led Congress chose to continue the failed policies of government waste, defeating my fiscally-responsible amendment and refusing to take even a small step toward enforcing accountability with taxpayers' hard-earned money.

I believe that Washington should be accountable with your tax dollars and demand results from Amtrak and any other entity currently subsided with taxpayer money. Americans deserve results from their government, and I will work to cut waste, fraud, and abuse from Washington.

News from the 32nd District
One of my greatest honors as a Member of Congress is to support the military service dreams of young men and women from my district, and earlier this month I had the opportunity to welcome home 2nd Lt. James Winston of Dallas from his first tour of duty in Iraq as a neighbor, constituent, and a member of the United States Marine Corp.

From the Lakewood area of Dallas, James Winston graduated from St. Marks School of Texas. In 2002, I had the privilege of nominating James to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 2006 as a 2nd Lieutenant commissioned to the U.S. Marine Corp. Upon completing Infantry School, he joined the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines stationed out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

During his seven-month deployment to Iraq, Lt. Winston served as a platoon commander in the 3rd Platoon, India Company where he trained and supervised the progress of two Iraqi Army Companies. Additionally, his platoon patrolled nearly 200 square kilometers of battle space along with members of the Iraqi Army, demonstrating the joint efforts of Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces. In the final two months of his tour of duty, Lt. Winston and his platoon stood guard at Camp Al-Qa'im, the largest battalion camp near Syria.

Lt. Colonel Pete Baumgarten, the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines, issued the following statement as his soldiers began their departure back home: "We have completed the mission through our ‘Strength and Honor' as United States Marines and Americans. We finish tremendously proud of our effort and what we have achieved in Western Iraq."

Through the years, I have had the privilege of watching James grow up and develop strength of character and an unwavering commitment to the United States of America. His work in Iraq exemplifies his dedication to freedom, and I am very proud of his service our nation.

As you may know, I have also been a supporter of the "Welcome Home a Hero" program at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which serves as the first arrival point for over 200 troops each day returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organized by the North Texas Commission, United Service Organizations (USO), and local businesses and volunteers, "Welcome Home a Hero" provides service members the warm greeting and welcoming homecoming they have earned.

I encourage every American to join in positively impacting the morale and spirits of our military members and in demonstrating our appreciation for their sacrifice in protecting our nation. I am grateful for Lt. Winston's safe homecoming, and I wish him continued success in his future missions.

Have a good weekend

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