Senate Panel Rejects Bush Amtrak Plan

[Amfleet]

Senate Panel Opposes White House's Amtrak Bill
By Don Phillips

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 3, 2003; Page A04

The Bush administration's plan to restructure Amtrak ran into nearly universal bipartisan opposition yesterday from a Senate committee, and Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he fears Congress will continue to subsidize the passenger railroad's losses while demanding no basic changes in how it operates.

Federal Railroad Administrator Allan Rutter defended the administration bill before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Rutter said he was incredulous that anyone could think it was intended to dismantle Amtrak and dump financial responsibility for passenger train service on the states, as several senators then charged.

Full article can be found here.

 

[National Limited]

I would think this is good news. I do wonder, however, what the conference committee will do with the disparity between the House and Senate appropriations. My thinking is that it will be more than the House appropriation but less than the Senate, which, of course concerns me. Is there any chance that the conference committee "upping" the appropriation amount above what both houses voted to appropriate?

I my sure it seems like I'm grasping at straws here.