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Passenger Trains > Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze


Date: 01/29/25 12:31
Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: Railvt

Trains is reporting that the across the board freeze on Federal Grants for 90 days gas been rescinded. This certainly is good news for Amtrak. But before we celebrate too deeply keep in mind this could return in a more directed/targeted form.

Hopefully good news here. Trains normally allows 6 Newswire reads by-passing their Firewall per month. But the headline tells a lot. The link to the story is at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/trump-administration-scraps-freeze-on-grants/



Date: 01/29/25 13:21
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: DutchDragon

I have a feeling we're going to get a bad case of whiplash befeore this is settled.



Date: 01/29/25 13:39
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: ronald321

And we are stuck for the next 4 years with the new
Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who has
a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.

As I understand it, Amtrak funding, and Grant money
(that $67B infrastructure grant),  is funnelled through the DOT (Duffy).

It's never good, when your "Boss" voted against you every chance he got.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/25 16:23 by ronald321.



Date: 01/29/25 14:34
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: joemvcnj

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And we are stuck for the next 4 years with the
> new
> Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who has
> a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.
>
> As I understand it, Amtrak funding, and Grant
> money
> (that $67B infrastructure grant),  is funnelled
> through the DOT (Duddy).
>
> It's never good, when your "Boss" voted against
> you every chance he got.

He claimed at the hearing he would be different as DOT Secretary and leave it to Amtrak management as to what they should since he represented in the House an anti-Amtrak constituency that never had service, but now represents the whole country. 
 



Date: 01/29/25 16:54
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: CPMorris

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And we are stuck for the next 4 years with the
> new
> Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who has
> a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.
>
Perhaps, but Amtrak has survived anti-Amtrak DOT Secretaries before.
Remember William Coleman, Brock Adams and Norman Mineta who called
Amtrak "novelty transportation." 
Also, why do you assume "we are stuck for the next 4 years" with Duffy?
Sometimes people resign.......maybe.



Date: 01/29/25 17:49
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: dan

but the pressure to go Trump or be labled a rhino seems unprecedented



Date: 01/30/25 10:56
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: AmtrakMidwest

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ronald321 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And we are stuck for the next 4 years with the
> > new
> > Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who
> has
> > a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.
> >
> > As I understand it, Amtrak funding, and Grant
> > money
> > (that $67B infrastructure grant),  is
> funnelled
> > through the DOT (Duddy).
> >
> > It's never good, when your "Boss" voted against
> > you every chance he got.
>
> He claimed at the hearing he would be different as
> DOT Secretary and leave it to Amtrak management as
> to what they should since he represented in the
> House an anti-Amtrak constituency that never had
> service, but now represents the whole country. 
>  

He also mentioned that buses make more sense than trains in many instances. If you fall for the nonsense they say in hearings then that’s your problem but no one is the Trump administration is pro train/transit.



Date: 01/30/25 10:58
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: Jonny_Chi

CPMorris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ronald321 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And we are stuck for the next 4 years with the
> > new
> > Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who
> has
> > a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.
> >
> Perhaps, but Amtrak has survived anti-Amtrak DOT
> Secretaries before.
> Remember William Coleman, Brock Adams and Norman
> Mineta who called
> Amtrak "novelty transportation." 
> Also, why do you assume "we are stuck for the next
> 4 years" with Duffy?
> Sometimes people resign.......maybe.

Trump turned over 14 of 15 cabinets members in his first term.

Biden 2
Obama 3
Bush Jr 2
Clinton 4
Bush Sr 6
Reagan 8

Posted from iPhone



Date: 01/30/25 11:14
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: cchan006

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He claimed at the hearing he would be different as
> DOT Secretary and leave it to Amtrak management as
> to what they should since he represented in the
> House an anti-Amtrak constituency that never had
> service, but now represents the whole country. 

In other words, wait and see. Plenty of time for popcorn.

I'm just hoping TO members are merely having "keyboard diarrhea" and not actually having psychosis from mere change in administration. Otherwise, people really need to seek professional help if they can't handle the changes.

Slightly off topic, but I'm waiting for changes in Amtrak Board of Directors before I join the irrational panic going on here. Maybe Gardner might get sacked, like how Mineta engineered the sack of David Gunn. :-)



Date: 01/30/25 11:24
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: TCnR

Some background on the politics and the media reaction:

" Despite the usage of the term syndrome suggesting a medical condition, TDS is not an official medical diagnosis "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_derangement_syndrome



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/25 11:53 by TCnR.



Date: 01/31/25 10:31
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: westcoastrails

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ronald321 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > And we are stuck for the next 4 years with
> the
> > > new
> > > Secretary of Transportation--Sean Duffy==who
> > has
> > > a 100% anti-Amtrak voting record in Congress.
> > >
> > > As I understand it, Amtrak funding, and Grant
> > > money
> > > (that $67B infrastructure grant),  is
> > funnelled
> > > through the DOT (Duddy).
> > >
> > > It's never good, when your "Boss" voted
> against
> > > you every chance he got.
> >
> > He claimed at the hearing he would be different
> as
> > DOT Secretary and leave it to Amtrak management
> as
> > to what they should since he represented in the
> > House an anti-Amtrak constituency that never
> had
> > service, but now represents the whole
> country. 
> >  
>
> He also mentioned that buses make more sense than
> trains in many instances. If you fall for the
> nonsense they say in hearings then that’s your
> problem but no one is the Trump administration is
> pro train/transit.

And yet the amount of pro train/transit (pro-Amtrak/passenger rail travel) that voted for him and the people 100% against it is staggering. I've lost count.



Date: 01/31/25 17:07
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: ProAmtrak

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > He claimed at the hearing he would be different
> as
> > DOT Secretary and leave it to Amtrak management
> as
> > to what they should since he represented in the
> > House an anti-Amtrak constituency that never
> had
> > service, but now represents the whole
> country. 
>
> In other words, wait and see. Plenty of time for
> popcorn.
>
> I'm just hoping TO members are merely having
> "keyboard diarrhea" and not actually having
> psychosis from mere change in administration.
> Otherwise, people really need to seek professional
> help if they can't handle the changes.
>
> Slightly off topic, but I'm waiting for changes in
> Amtrak Board of Directors before I join the
> irrational panic going on here. Maybe Gardner
> might get sacked, like how Mineta engineered the
> sack of David Gunn. :-)


Only reason was because Gunn had Amtrak doing great, you know DC doesn't want Amtrak to ever thrive!

Posted from Android



Date: 01/31/25 17:09
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: KurtBWNews

Welp, since I happened to have this floating around, I figured I might as well share these comments here.

BLUF:  the Senator belives firmly the Legislative Branch controls the power of budgeting as part of separation of powers.

These comments from US Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) were made at a press briefing Thursday, January 30th 2025.  You are welcome to repost or reuse the clip elsewhere so long as you do not block, crop, or obscure the courtesy line.

 

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Date: 02/01/25 06:35
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: Lackawanna484

Senator Capito (R-WV) seems to have taken on former Senator Manchin's role as Amtrak's protector in West Virginia.  That can be a good thing.



Date: 02/01/25 08:48
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: jp1822

I have to wonder what Gardener and Harris are wondering at this point in time. My gut tells me that they are just "minding the house" and are "sitting ducks." 



Date: 02/01/25 09:11
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: ts1457

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Senator Capito (R-WV) seems to have taken on
> former Senator Manchin's role as Amtrak's
> protector in West Virginia.  That can be a good
> thing.

She is pretty high in the Senate Republican hierarchy:

Capito elected to fourth highest position in incoming Senate GOP leadership | News, Sports, Jobs - News and Sentinel

Supporters of Amtrak and passenger rail might do well to cultivate her interests, maybe along the lines of we need passenger trains so we cannot let bad management destroy the system.



Date: 02/01/25 10:08
Re: Trump Administration Rescinds Spending Freeze
Author: Lackawanna484

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have to wonder what Gardener and Harris are
> wondering at this point in time. My gut tells me
> that they are just "minding the house" and are
> "sitting ducks." 


It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they have solid multi year employment and severance agreements.

Happy to get a few years pay to stay home, or travel, or play golf a few times each week.

Posted from Android



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