It looks like $1.2 billion

AP reports that a $388 billion spending bill that could be voted on later today contains $1.2 billion in aid to Amtrak; less than what the railroad wanted, but probably enough to avoid a shutdown.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... s_spending

Ugh...if that's not enough to maintain the status quo, I wonder what they'll cut next.

As if there was any doubt that Amtrak would get any less than that...Amtrak will be lucky to get anything more than $1 above bare minimum to keep the trains rolling along.

Will be interesting to see Mr Gunn's pronouncement on this.

John Perkowski.

That's how the game is played; anybody knows that.

No different for Amtrak than for a grantee studying the sleep habits of an aardvark (whoops, let's say armadillo; I think they are indigenous to Texas).

Of interest is this "warning" contained within The New York Times' coverage of the story today (no mention of Amtrak therein):

Under pressure to show progress in reducing the budget deficit, White House officials threatened that President Bush would veto any measure that exceeded the spending limits set earlier this year. But they also warned lawmakers not to shortchange some of Mr. Bush's priorities, like his plan for preliminary work on a mission to Mars

"The president's senior advisers would recommend that he veto any bill that exceeds the agreed-upon spending limits" or that uses "unacceptable budgetary devices" to disguise the true level of spending, wrote Joshua B. Bolten, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget....
Mr. Bush has yet to veto a single spending bill, and federal spending has soared since he took office...The total spending package at issue now is still about $4 billion higher than White House officials wanted.

I wonder what the "Stage Show' for the signing will include; possibly a troupe performing, complete with a hornpipe:

What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-aye in the morning?
Chorus:
Way hay and up she rises
Patent blocks o' diff'rent sizes,
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-aye in the morning

So does the $1.2B include repayment of the $100M DOT loan?

Loan? what loan, Mr JP1822.

"long since forgotten".

I read about the $1.2 billion today, buried at the bottom of a newspaper article about Republican efforts to raise the debt ceiling. It surprised me. Last I heard they hadn't gotten past the $900 million mark. $1.2 is status quo, but not a shutdown budget. As usual, not enough to help Amtrak succeed, not so little as to kill it. Sigh.

Politics is the art of the possible.

For the Congress, $1.2B is possible.

It's that simple.

John Perkowski

Well at least $1.2 Billion better than 900 million. I just got off the phone with my dad is crabbing about how much they got because he says they can't make money and they complian about never having enough. Wonder if Dave Gunn will leave over this?

AmtrakFan

A brief passage from the NARP Hotline for today:

Amtrak funding for fiscal 2005 is near completion. Amtrak reportedly will receive $1.2178 billion (same as fiscal 2004 and the continuing resolution) and be required to pay repay the $100 million DOT loan over five years. Final passage of the omnibus funding bill is expected to include an across-the-board cut of between 0.75% and 1%. Final action in both chambers is possible this evening or tomorrow—the goal being for legislators to leave town no later than tomorrow.

The full text can be read at
http://www.narprail.org/default.asp?p=hot%2Ehtm

According to this week's NARP hotline, the Department of Transportation Inspector General is quoted in a report released that Amtrak should rely on less subsidies focus more effort on the NEC and less on rebuilding the Superliners for long distance service. Yet another jab at sustaining the national system. I think the Inspector needs to get an education to understand passenger railroad systems around the world require subsidies to operate - particular the high speed networks. Compared to the work that the NEC needs, the repairs to the long distance equipment is chump change. Our government leaders just need to stop the advocacy of eliminating the "national system" and conecede it's not going to go away. Instead the system hangs in limbo year to year. Get the current system to a "state of good repair" and run the skeletal system that is in place, leaving corridor and other growth to those willing to bear the cost, whether federal or state.

Its a shame all of the "red states" are putting our transportation systems out of business. Anyone here from Philly knows what I mean as SEPTA is going through the same thing right now. We're begging for $60mil just to keep going.

As with Amtrak's situation, SEPTA will probablly get some kind of tide-me-over funding for the next year, but will still require some type of cuts be it in service or personell.

I will still give cheers for Amtrak for maintaining the system they have with the little funding and support they get. They do a much better job than what we get here locally. The LD problems are mostly from the host railroads, although having more sleepers and diners would be nice.

Things aren't likely to get better, so lets enjoy it while we can...

They have to repay the DOT loan worth $100 Million I hear.

AmtrakFan

After I told my Dad about the funding level of $1.2 Billion he blew up he said Amtrak should be lucky he said they are always whining about how they don't have enough, about how they can't make any money etc. He said they should just go under and I said "How would like to take the Hound on your next Business Trip when we have a Nation Wide Flight Attendence Strike?" Also the funding plan stinks they should get $1.3 Billion to repay their loan.

AmtrakFan