So why not have a trust fund? And for that matter, why not, like the Department of Transportation, have a separate line item for the overhead expense of just having a national rail system?

Again I want to re-emphasize the fact that the passenger reauthorization is going to be up this year.

As you know, Chairman Shuster and I are committed to rail reauthorization this year, and hopefully this hearing will continue that bipartisan effort.

So, Mr. Chairman, we have an opportunity here to help Amtrak build on this considerable success.

I am very encouraged that both the Administration and Amtrak believe that there needs to be reform and improvement as to how Amtrak operates.

You can only put so much lipstick on a black hole financial operation, and you still have great losses to the taxpayer.

I look forward to exploring this matter with our witnesses.

First of all, my belief obviously with Dodd-Frank was it was designed for the big banks, yet in my community we are dealing with a lot of challenges on a day-to-day level with some of my smaller irrigation districts.

What are USDA's specific plans to provide financial assistance and much needed relief to dairy producers in California?

I really want to try to do something to reform Amtrak, to make sure that--it may never make a profit, but we need to make it move in that direction.

I would like the committee to notice that we are going to finish exactly right on time today.

When the courageous Americans who volunteer to fight our wars come home, they should not have to fight for jobs. Unemployment is one of the biggest problems currently facing America's veterans. In addition to our gratitude and support, our…