Andre Carson: “article 1, section 9, of the Constitution states that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of…”

“article 1, section 9, of the Constitution states that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law. It is the fiscal duty of the Congress to appropriate the money necessary to provide the funds needed to support the execution of programs and operations of the Federal Government. To date, only five of the 13 appropriations measures have been considered. Mr. Speaker, this inaction has hampered this body's constitutional duty and called into question its integrity. The failure of this unrealistic budget resolution is especially true in respect to the fiscal year 2003 transportation appropriations bill in its funding for Amtrak. This inaction has hampered this body's constitutional duty. After the events of September 11, our Nation's air transportation system ground to a halt. After the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights following the terrorist attacks, travelers turned to Amtrak. Whether people had to travel for business, to help with rescue efforts or just to get home, Amtrak kept Americans moving during a time of national emergency. Amtrak ridership and revenues skyrocketed, led by the Northeast Corridor, which had a 13.5 percent revenue growth and a 4.6 percent ridership growth in 2001. For the system as a whole, revenue rose 8.2 percent and ridership 4.3 percent. The situation not only proved that Amtrak works but that passenger rail is a critical part of our transportation infrastructure.”