Durbin Statement Regarding President Bush's Amtrak Proposal

DURBIN STATEMENT REGARDING PRESIDENT BUSH'S AMTRAK PROPOSAL

Monday, February 14, 2005

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement regarding the Administration's plan for Amtrak:

"Earlier today, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta stood at Chicago Union Station and tried to sell the idea that the Bush Administration supports passenger rail in the United States."

"Secretary Mineta is a good friend. I served with him in Congress and together we fought for Amtrak funding. But the President has asked him to try to sell a terrible plan: the privatization and eventual elimination of Amtrak."

"The President's plan to eliminate Amtrak doesn't work for Illinois, and it won't work for our nation."

"Last week, the President released a budget that didn't include one dime in federal funding for Amtrak service in Illinois. The 3 million passengers a year who rely on Amtrak in our state would be out of luck, and 2,000 Illinoisans would be out of a job."

"But the President doesn't stop with axing Amtrak's funding, his Administration takes it a step further - privatization. It's the most popular word at the White House - first Social Security, now Amtrak. Where will it end?"

"It is time for the Bush Administration to realize that if federal support is important enough for our nation's highways and airports, then an investment in passenger rail should be a priority. And we shouldn't depend on cash-strapped states like Illinois to pick up more of the burden. The State of Illinois pays its fair share - so should the federal government."

I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to shore up Amtrak and provide the rail system so many Americans have come to rely on with the funding and direction it needs.

http://durbin.senate.gov/releases.cfm