Frank Lautenberg: “my good friend from South Carolina, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation…”

“my good friend from South Carolina, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has been a tireless and influential advocate for passenger rail, and his leadership is unparalleled on this issue. Although my friend Senator Conrad, the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, has pointed out that this budget does not explicitly provide for adequate funding for Amtrak, I am hopeful that Senator Hollings' efforts will lead to a long-term funding source for the railroad so that it may finally take advantage of efficient, multi-year planning and realize additional efficiencies on its system. The attacks on 9/11 taught us a valuable lesson concerning transportation options, and we need to heed that lesson so we do not find ourselves in a situation again where options for travelers are severely limited and our economy suffers because of it. Last year, the Congress appropriated $1.2 billion for Amtrak--the highest amount ever. Also last year, Amtrak carried over 24 million passengers--their highest amount ever. I am quite certain this is no coincidence. It is also no coincidence that this record was achieved during the first full year under the leadership of Mr. Gunn. He is doing a remarkable job of improving the reliability of the railroad, and his success is a success shared by our Nation as a whole.”