Robin Carnahan: “I rise today in support of Amtrak. I support the Brown-Menendez-Rahall Amendment, which we are debating now, and I also…”

“I rise today in support of Amtrak. I support the Brown-Menendez-Rahall Amendment, which we are debating now, and I also strongly support the amendment offered by Mr. LaTourette and Mr. Oberstar, which the House considered earlier. Trains have been, and continue to be, an integral part of our Nation's transportation system. Every year, millions of Americans use Amtrak and our Nation's railways to travel throughout our great country, removing cars from our congested highways and travelers from our crowded airports. In my home State of Missouri, over 400,000 people used Amtrak last year. However, despite this heavy volume of travel, one of the routes that would be eliminated by this appropriations bill passes through Missouri and serves the city of St. Louis. It is vital that we stop the elimination of these routes and restore full funding to Amtrak so that it may continue to provide the same level of service to the people of the United States for generations to come. I urge my colleagues to support this essential component of our Nation's transportation infrastructure and support the Brown-Menendez- Rahall amendment.”