Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I commend the Senators who are the authors of this amendment. The Senator from Kansas, Mr. Moran, has discussed this issue with me many times, as have the Senators from New Mexico who feel very strongly about it as well. I know the Senators from Colorado are also cosponsors. As chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the funding for Amtrak, I support this amendment. Amtrak's national network is vital for the hundreds of communities across the country it serves, particularly in the more rural areas of our country. At a hearing I chaired this past May with the ranking member, Senator Reed, Amtrak committed to not making service changes in advance of new authorizing legislation. It also committed to consulting with the communities it serves before making changes that would affect the residents of those communities. We fully expect Amtrak to stand by the commitments that were made at our May hearing. This amendment conveys our longstanding support for long-distance passenger rail service, and I encourage my colleagues to adopt it. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Rhode Island.”