Wayne Allard: “I am a strong proponent of fixed rail. As chairman of the Housing and Transportation Subcommittee in Banking, I worked…”

“I am a strong proponent of fixed rail. As chairman of the Housing and Transportation Subcommittee in Banking, I worked hard for mass transit and, obviously, fixed rail. So I agree that rail needs to be a vital part of our transportation system. All this amendment does is put in law a goal we want self-sufficiency for--not capital investments. It applies to operational costs. We have been going for several years without meeting this goal. I think we can do more. Even if it is minimal, at least we can keep it in there so it continues to encourage them to be more efficient and review processes and procedures they use in the operation of Amtrak. That is not capital investment. That is operational, things they can do to bring efficiency to their services, which I think is to the advantage of the rider, as well as to the taxpayers of this country.”