WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives has delayed its planned vote on an appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation amid Republic concerns the bill would not pass, the website The Hill reports.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said during Thursday’s session that the House would try next week to pass H.R. 4820, to fund the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
“Some people want to cut more,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), head of the Rules Committee, which determined which amendments were part of the bill that made its way to the floor, told the website. “Other people are worried that we cut too much, or they’ve got particular concerns, Amtrak concerns.”
The updated description of the bill from House Appropriations Committee Republicans says the bill includes $90.243 billion in discretionary spending, $8.633 billion below the amount in President Joe Biden’s budget request. It says the bill addresses financial shortfalls and funds Republican priorities by eliminating several programs and making “deep cuts to others, especially those that received large amontsin the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro, whose central New York district includes Binghamton and parts of the Hudson Valley, is among Republicans with concerns about Amtrak cuts of more than $1.5 billion [see “House set to vote on spending bill …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 31, 2023].
“I just have some reservations about the bill,” Molinaro said, according to The Hill. “The Northeast Amtrak corridor is actually one of the few that actually makes money and secondly is a major artery for commuters throughout the Northeast, but certainly in the Hudson Valley, and upstate New York. … I’m all for responsible spending, but these are pretty significant reductions.”
I think if Joe had his druthers he’d be on the Acela to Wilmington. Most of the Congresspeople from SE PA and DE ride Acela.
NEC “makes money” LMAO & NE commuters – go pay for it yourself! Any new tunnels too! These East coast people think they’re the Center of the Universe to me they’re only a buffer between me & the ocean. What a bunch of mindless, spineless weasels these Reps are. They’re kind of like the Senates shiftless embarrassing brother!
“The Northeast Amtrak corridor is actually one of the few that actually makes money”
Okay, I’ll ask – if it’s “making money”, then why does it need additional federal funding???
Mr. Bruce, you are asking the right questions. Which is why they will be ignored.
How can this nation and Congress justify and explain giving billions of our money to other nations while our own country is just falling apart and heading into financial collapse and bankruptcy ? Billions being given away in military aid and weapons for these nations to continue fighting wars and conflicts that go on and on with no real peace or solutions to the conflicts. A big joke is how we give money to other nations to help rebuild and expand their rail systems as well as highways and roads while here, the idea is to cut and eventually eliminate passenger rail service in America. These wars and conflicts in other nations and parts of the world will continue to go on as long as we continue to supply weapons and financial resources to these so called friends and allies of our nation. They know us only for our money and forever helping them out at the expense of our own needs in this country. I would propose to cut foreign aid and military assistance to all nations to the bone. I don’t see any of these other nations helping us out when we have a natural disaster or two or when we face a financial crisis or deficit. We are already in a serious crisis by our continuing dependence on China and the massive debt that we owe them and once they decide to pull out the rug from under us there goes our country. China don’t have to destroy us by their nuclear weapons or masssive military machine, just call in the massive debt that we owe them and they own us if they don’t already by now. Cut the foreign aid budget and also the military budget and expeditures as well. Or military chiefs and Defense Dept have also been known to foolishly waste money on crazy ideas and projects and weapons that have been failures and also operate with a bloated budget and staff. It is just amazing how these Republicans like to cut things out of their budget that are just mere pennies and are a drop in the bucket as compared to what really eats up the budget and wastes money. What the federal government spends and invests in Amtrak and transit is nothing compared to what these “wizards” want to cut from Amtrak What is spent on Amtrak and transit is a drop in the bucket. I want to add one more comment and it might start a firestorm here but yesterday our Republicans in the House voted to approve 14 billion in aid to a “certain” nation fighting a never ending senseless war that already has claimed thousands of lives on both sides and is a disaster only to get worse. 14 billion to another nation and our own nation is suffering through terrible issues of our own. What a waste and a misguided sense of priorities. Neglect our own country in favor of helping other nations wage war and kill people with the weapons we supply them. Disgraceful!
Joseph C. Markfelder
Didn’t the deficit reach an all time nigh during the Trump administration? Gotta give tax cuts to the undeserving billionaires.
No, they did not. Check out the deficit for fiscal year 2022-2023. It’s appaling.
I wish the Republicans would grow a pair and slash wasteful spending to and through the bone…. Amtrak is not waste.
Start with the Executive Office Of the Presidency. IE the White House budget. Cut that by 50%, including travel costs to Delaware or Mar-a-Lago, depending on which low-end bottom-feeder jerk is president.
Yes Charles, something we can agree on. Although I don’t think insulting bottom feeders by comparing them to Biden or Trump is fair. Bottom feeders at least provide a service.