Dear Sam:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for robust passenger rail funding. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

I share your belief that improving and expanding our nation’s passenger rail infrastructure is critical to providing alternative modes of transportation for millions of Americans. Investments in rail infrastructure also help to reduce congestion on our roads, decrease greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, and curb our dependence on oil.

Throughout my time in the U.S. Senate, I have long supported federal funding for Amtrak and other critical rail transportation projects. Most recently, I supported the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Public Law 114-94)—a bill that reauthorized America’s federal surface transportation programs for five years. Additionally, I supported the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-6), which provided approximately $2.9 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, including over $1.9 billion for Amtrak and over $660 million for rail infrastructure and safety improvements.

I am also a strong supporter of the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program. This program is responsible for funding a number of important ongoing passenger rail projects in California, including extensions to the Los Angeles Metro Rail, Bay Area Rapid Transit extension, and funding for Caltrain Electrification in the Bay Area. Furthermore, I worked hard to ensure all commuter rail systems throughout the country will be retrofitted with Positive Train Control devices—a crash-avoidance technology designed to increase rail safety and save lives.

I am disappointed by the Trump administration’s attempts to cut Amtrak funding and federal grants for upgrades to commuter rail networks in California. These proposed cuts are counterproductive and show that the President does not understand the importance of these programs. However, it is important to remember that the President’s budget proposal is simply a request to Congress. Congress, not the President, ultimately decides federal funding levels.

I have made careful note of your support for Amtrak and passenger rail service, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee—which has jurisdiction over federal funding—I look forward to working with my colleagues on FY 2020 funding bills that address our urgent transportation and infrastructure needs.

Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington, D.C., office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at feinstein.senate.gov. You can also follow me online at YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at feinstein.senate.gov/newsletter.

Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator