Contact Information Majority (Republicans) Minority (Democrats) Committee Office: The Capitol S-128 The Capitol S-206 Committee Phone: 202-224-7363 202-224-7292 Committee FAX: Unlisted Unlisted Committee Email: Not Currently Available (Entire Committee) Committee WWW Homepage: http://appropriations.senate.gov/ (Entire Committee) Subcommittees: Subcommittee on Agriculture Rural Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Commerce Justice and Science Subcommittee on the District of Columbia Subcommittee on Defense Subcommittee on Energy and Water Subcommittee on State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Interior Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Transportation Treasury the Judiciary and Housing and Urban Development
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This is just a rumor I heard from a reliable source. The senate is in favor of raising the House $1.17 Billion to the $1.8 Billion. Lets hope so.
jgart56 Member # 3968
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Realizing that this will never happen...but this is my hope for the future: that a bi-partisan committee with the help of some real railroad managers would sit down with David Gunn and the Amtrak Board; and talk about a definite funding source for Amtrak and ways to improve it's performance.
You'll note I'm not holding my breath though! Right now I'd be content with 1.8 billion. I can always hope can't I?
At least I know that both of my Senators (Durbin and Obama)support full funding for Amtrak.
jgart56 Member # 3968
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Realizing that this will never happen...but this is my hope for the future: that a bi-partisan committee with the help of some real railroad managers would sit down with David Gunn and the Amtrak Board; and talk about a definite funding source for Amtrak and ways to improve it's performance.
You'll note I'm not holding my breath though! Right now I'd be content with 1.8 billion. I can always hope can't I?
At least I know that both of my Senators (Durbin and Obama)support full funding for Amtrak.
jgart56 Member # 3968
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OK Why did that double post?
PullmanCo Member # 1138
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Same comment I placed at another board:
If you are a constituent of an Appropriator, get to his/her Senate website and WRITE.
Senators may work national issues, but they listen to their constituents. All the other email hits the bit bucket.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
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I e-mailed the two ladies from California a few days ago. I asked them to support $1.8 billion or better for '06. I added that if we could afford a billion dollars every four days for Iraq, we could certainly afford $1.8 billion for a year of Amtrak.
Finally, I asked them to seek a long-term dedicated source of funding for Amtrak, and specifically requested that they do it this year.
Boxer and Feinstein are both very pro-Amtrak.
CoastStarlight99 Member # 2734
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quote: Boxer and Feinstein are both very pro-Amtrak. [/QB]
Yep, I sent a letter in the mail to Boxer and an email to Feinstein and got this:
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the proposed funding cuts to Amtrak President Bush outlined in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Budget Request. I always appreciate hearing from constituents on important transportation issues and I welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
I recognize the tremendous service that Amtrak provides to California, as well as the rest of the Nation. I was disappointed to see that President Bush only allocated $360 million for Amtrak in his FY 2006 Budget, given that Amtrak received $1.2 billion in the FY 2005 Appropriations Budget. Please know that as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will work to adequately fund Amtrak.
Again, thank you for writing to me about Amtrak. If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. staff at (202) 224-3841.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein United States Senator
chile2 Member # 3110
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Thank goodness I caught this posting in time to write to our N.M. senator. I would strongly urge others to do likewise. We had just returned from a long Amtrak vacation and had a great time and found that the service was improved over previous years. A few points I made; Amtrak is family-friendly and utilized a good deal by families; Amtrak is used by a large variety of ethnic groups, ages, and income levels; that it is in our national security interests to keep a diversified transport system. (gee, I forgot to mention a fuel efficient method of transport....) Call, fax, or email now
Chucky Member # 2263
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Thank you for reminding me about the subcommittee meeting, BNSF. At your urging I have just fired off a letter to Pete Domenici, who serves on the committee and also happens to be my senator.
I'm sure we are all very burned out about this issue by now, but there is still time to take action!
This is what I wrote:
Dear Pete,
Tomorrow (Wed., July 27) you will be casting a vote that will determine the future of Amtrak. I ask you to vote for full funding ($1.8 billion) for our nation's railroad system.
Long haul trains like The Southwest Chief make up a small fraction of what it costs to run Amtrak and they are absolutely vital to the health of our nation's transportation system.
I gave up flying over eight years ago because of a medical condition. I depend on trains like Amtrak's Southwest Chief to get me to places like Los Angeles, Chicago and beyond: Without The Southwest Chief I would be lost.
When I travel on the train I am surrounded by both Republicans and Democrats alike. We are united in our support of long haul train travel.
Senior citizens and handicapped people, as well as students and tourists, pack the long distance trains and depend on them to get us where we are going. To us trains like The Southwest Chief are basic and necessary transportation.
The American public wants to preserve Amtrak. The $5 or so a year that every taxpayer contributes to Amtrak is only a fraction of what we pay to support the airports and the highways.
Please add your strong voice to ours and help insure the future of The Southwest Chief. New Mexicans definitely do not want to pay for a national rail system that only provides service to residents of the east and west coasts.
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