An appropriations bill advanced out of the U.S. House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee calls for crippling spending cuts to Amtrak that would threaten extinction of the network and the loss of thousands of jobs, including those of hardworking BMWED members.

In a press release this week, Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX-12) calls for cutting $876 million from Amtrak’s FY2024 budget, a 64 percent reduction. Labeling it “wasteful spending” the cuts “bring (Amtrak) below its FY2003 level,” a claw back in funding of two decades.

“It’s insane that elected officials are willing to make obscene cuts to Amtrak in a time where it is clear that we need more investment in passenger rail service throughout our country,” BMWED Director of Government Affairs Jeff Joines said. “These drastic cuts are crazy. It would set passenger rail back to 2003 funding levels and would devastate our United Passenger Rail Federations. Hard-working men and women would lose great union jobs, but that’s exactly what they want. It’s absolute lunacy. The elected officials who passed this should lose their jobs in Congress and the BMWED will do all we can to help with that.”

For too long, Amtrak has been a popular whipping post for conservative legislators who like to point to its alleged ineffectiveness while constantly starving it of investment. It is no secret that the United States has lagged other nations when it comes to passenger rail but most of that has been by design of those who are so beholden to tax cuts for the wealthy and the oil and gas lobby to ever tackle a wholesale strategy seriously.

The truth is the devastating budget cuts to Amtrak won’t save YOU tax money. It would go a long way to corporations and the wealthiest one percent of Americans, but they fly private jets anyway.

Amtrak has made great strides in the last ten years and the appetite for intercity, nationwide passenger rail in America is strong. These reckless cuts are political silliness and should be ridiculed.

The BMWED stands committed to protecting Amtrak and our members who work so hard to provide great passenger service. We are strongly opposed to these cuts and urge you to contact your federal representatives in both the House and Senate to remind them that Amtrak should be protected.