Michael Castle: “Unfortunately, last year Congress and the administration provided Amtrak only $5 million for rail security in comparison…”

“Unfortunately, last year Congress and the administration provided Amtrak only $5 million for rail security in comparison to $3.8 billion for the Transportation Security Agency to improve aviation security. In my opinion, this imbalance must be addressed. I do not know how many Members are aware of this, but I would like to point out that Amtrak's tunnels run underneath the House and Senate office buildings and the Supreme Court. We literally cannot afford to ignore rail security any longer. I would say to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) that I respectfully request that when the House and Senate meet to negotiate the final details of this bill, that adequate security funding will be provided for Amtrak.”