Amtrak Budget Amendments fail…but its not about the trains

Two amendments to the Senate Budget Resolution that would have raised Amtrak’s funding to $1.45 billion failed.  But it really had nothing to do with Amtrak.  It had to do with partisan wrangling.

I have several friends on the Hill.  They all tell me that partisan bickering is at its worst ever.  I’m sure you can see that from your hometown too: on TV, in the newspaper, and even possibly in person.

Like I’ve been telling NARP members at Regional meetings this year, Amtrak and rail transit investment is not a red state issue, its not a blue state issue, its not a rural issue, its not an urban issue, its widely supported.  We’ve seen this in several ways: last November’s 96-3 vote for the Lott Reauthorization and major ballot victories for transit in “non-traditional” transit areas like Phoenix, Denver, and Nashville.

NARP members can go to the regular NARP website and login to see how your Senator voted on our new Senate Voting Chart.  Resist the urge to attack your Senator for his or her vote.  If you want to send a message to them, perhaps say, “I’m sorry to see that partisanship trumped the need to properly fund our nation’s passenger rail system.  I trust you will continue to work to fund Amtrak’s budgetary request as the appropriations process moves forward.”

Visit our friend Collin Peppard’s blog at Friends of the Earth to get his take on this.

It’s a busy weekend for the NARP staff: I’m about to leave for Little Rock to speak to Region 9, Ross Capon will be in Baltimore tomorrow to speak to Region 4, and George Chilson is enroute to Detroit to speak to Region 6.  Please attend one of these meetings if its in your area!