C-SPAN Poll on Amtrak Funding

As the Senate debates S.294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act that would reauthorize Amtrak, C-SPAN has a poll on its CapitalNews web site asking, “Should Amtrak receive federal funding?”  So far, over 1100 respondents have voted, with “Yes” leading “No” by a margin of 74% to 26%.

While this is not a scientific poll, we encourage you to vote and show your support for passenger rail and parity in transportation funding!

Most importantly, please contact your Senators’ offices by telephone tomorrow after 9 AM Eastern time.  The Senate should move to a final vote on S.294 by tomorrow, and Wednesday morning at the latest.  As was the case last week, the message to your Senators continues to be: Please support S.294 and please vote against any other anti-passenger rail amendment that is offered, especially amendments to cut funding or add micromanaging language to the bill.  Press reports today indicate that Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) may offer an amendment to reinstate the disastrous “Self-Sufficiency” language from the 1997 Amtrak reauthorization.  (S.294 specifically eliminates this requirement.)

—Matthew Melzer