Doris Matsui: “we have seen repeated appropriation bills moved through the House ignoring the priorities of Americans, including those…”

“we have seen repeated appropriation bills moved through the House ignoring the priorities of Americans, including those residing in my hometown of Sacramento. With each bill, we see the negative impact of the Republican-passed budget resolution on the day- to-day lives of our constituents. As we take up the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Judiciary, District of Columbia, and Independent Agencies appropriation bill, also known by some as the Throw the Leftovers Into One Tupperware Catch-all bill, we, yet again, see the bind the budget resolution has placed us in. We see the programs important to all of our constituents and our communities forced to compete against each other for limited funding, and we see these programs being gutted. As it stands, this bill dismantles Amtrak, slashing funding by over half, threatening its long-term health. With 9.3 million passengers in California, Amtrak is extremely popular, especially in Sacramento. With the line closures and funding cuts, it will be impossible for Amtrak to continue to operate. After severance obligations and debt service pay, nothing would remain to continue running even the lines deemed successful. Further complicating the situation, the bill fails to even fund the minimum maintenance on tracks and trains necessary to keep the thriving lines operational. I cannot begin to estimate the negative impact this will have.…”