Political Quotes

“the bill before us is a very important bill for our country. It is the reauthorization of the Amtrak operation which serves Illinois and most of our Nation very well. It is one of the most successful modes of transportation in terms of growth in our country. In the last year the ridership on Amtrak in Illinois has doubled. Doubled. That is an indication of a commitment, not only from the State of Illinois to make that happen, but also with the price of gasoline a lot of people are discovering the train again. They are back on those trains traveling between St. Louis and Chicago, Quincy and Chicago, Carbondale and Chicago, students, families, business people. That is a good thing. I salute Senators Lautenberg and Lott for bringing this authorization bill to the floor. I definitely want it to pass as quickly as possible. I hope we will show the support for Amtrak which has been lacking for some time in the past but in the future needs to be there.”