Dear Representative:
As the House considers the 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, we urge you to support transportation workers and U.S. competitiveness by taking the following votes on amendments:
- Vote NO on the two amendments offered by Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-5), which would eliminate Amtrak’s operating and capital funding. The demand for passenger rail options are surging in this country, and Amtrak has achieved record ridership in 10 of the last 11 years despite dealing with aging infrastructure and insufficient federal funding. These amendments would deal a terrible blow to the future of passenger rail in this country.
- Vote NO on the amendment offered by Rep. McClintock (CA-4), which would eliminate funding for the Essential Air Services (EAS) program. EAS is critical to maintaining access to air travel for rural and small communities. The elimination of this program will badly reduce travel options for millions of Americans.
- Vote YES on the amendment offered by Rep. Cartwright (PA-17), which would continue to allow DOT to exercise its existing authority of determining the minimum levels of insurance required of bus and truck companies.
- Vote NO on the two amendments offered by Rep. Sessions (TX-32). The first amendment would eliminate the Sunset Limited passenger rail line which provides service from New Orleans to Los Angeles. The second would prohibit funds from going to any Amtrak route which costs exceed two times its revenue, a clear attack on Amtrak’s long-distance routes which serve as a key component in our national transportation system.
The THUD Appropriations Act should be a vehicle for investing and improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure. We hope that you will reject those amendments that damage critical transportation initiatives, and support those that strengthen the safety and efficiency of our national transportation network.
Sincerely,
Edward Wytkind
President
Critical Vote Alert for THUD Appropriations Amendments (206kb)
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