Charles Q. Brown

My top priority for rail is to continue to increase investment in freight and passenger rail.

In tough economic times, it is critically important to make needed investments.

I am 100 percent supportive of high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor.

Their only goal during 8 years of the Bush administration was to focus solely on destroying Amtrak.

It is not just that Big Government can't come in and say that we are going to do it this way.

I truly agree with your analysis that we could cut this price down a third.

The Republicans are no friend to rail. They have plenty to say about what others are doing wrong, but they never put their money where their mouth is.

I don't understand, and I hope as we move forward when we give the VA all of the money up front, $615 million or what else, why is it that it takes so long to get these projects done?

We are looking to be assured that, going forward, VA senior leadership approaches spending taxpayer dollars with the same care and attention they would approach spending their own money.

I have always felt that this Committee wasn't a Democratic Committee or a Republican Committee. In the past, we have been an American Committee.

I truly hope that these two conferences are not just the tip of an iceberg of misjudgment and wasteful spending, but rather, are found to be two isolated incidents from which the agency can learn.

I actually hope these two conferences are not just the tip of the iceberg of misjudgment and wasteful spending but rather are two isolated incidents from which the agencies can learn.

I believe this is an important point that we should not forget: for all the faults we find with how the VA operates, at the end of the day it is providing services and benefits to millions of veterans and their families.

government should work for the people. It is all taxpayers' dollars.

Does any Member of Congress really think that this issue is more important than the critical mission of preparing our waterways for port--ships?

When we went and took out the Osama bin Laden compound in Pakistan, one of the things they indicated was that they were going to attack our rail system.

Don't confuse these Republicans with any facts. I mean it is no place for it in this room.

It is very sad that we are wasting the committee's time micromanaging Amtrak while totally ignoring critical issues in our transportation system.

This is what this hearing is about. Good, old-fashioned politics and a nod to the Republican Party job-killing platform which endorses the dismantling of Amtrak in favor of outsourcing service to low-wage, low-benefit, private operations.

the veterans here have waited 25 years to get this hospital.

We could put people to work. We don't have to wait until the facility is completed.

Shouldn't take 25 years to do nothing. Nothing.

I strongly encourage the VA to keep this facility in use.

What happens when failure is not an option? You get it done.

Privatize meaning take Amtrak and give it to, I guess, somebody's friend and you work at a minimum wage job and you don't have any benefits.