Less than 24 hours after the Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that has killed at least 7 and injured dozens more, the House Appropriations committee voted (see 12:34 PM update) against a $1.1 billion increase to Amtrak funding. The increase was proposed in President Obama's budget, and introduced as an amendment in the committee by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA):
“These riders deserve safe, secure, and modern infrastructure,” Mr. Fattah said. “While it’s too early to speculate on the cause of last night’s derailment, ensuring safety and reliability on our railways requires substantial investment in Amtrak. And it is imperative we continue to prioritize our country’s investment in transportation infrastructure.”
It was voted down by Republicans on the committee, who cited sequestration:
“Yes, these numbers are tough to live with,” Mr. Rogers [(R-KY)] said. “The Budget Control Act is the law of the land, dictates what we can’t do and we’re appropriating up to the level of the law.”
And now they're prepared to slash funding further: not only are they rejecting Rep. Fattah's request, but they are actually
planning to CUT Amtrak funding by over $250 million - 15% - from last year's funding levels.
As for their sequestration excuse? To put it politely, nonsense. Sequestration's a law like any other. Nothing prevents Congressional Republicans from passing additional Amtrak funding and overriding the prior law. They just don't want to. It's pathetic and disgraceful.
A few of them seem mildly aware that this doesn't look good. From the NYT article:
“I know I’ve been hearing about how evil we are because we have been looking at this budget with a magnifying glass,” said Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida and chairman of the subcommittee on transportation appropriations.
Well, Rep. Diaz-Balart, if you and your party won't soften your ideological crusade against public transportation - if you'd rather starve Amtrak of funding and put its riders at risk - expect to hear it a lot more.