Van Hollen Urges Senate Negotiators to Include COVID-19 Relief for Amtrak in Next Package

This week, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to include Amtrak funding relief in any upcoming COVID-19 legislative package or emergency appropriations measure. Specifically, Van Hollen requested that they approve Amtrak’s supplemental FY21 funding request for an additional $1.475 billion. 

“The funds provided to Amtrak in the CARES Act were enough to cover Amtrak’s expenses through the end of this fiscal year; however, their FY21 budget request submitted to Congress in February was based on a typical year projection and did not include a request for funds to address COVID-19 impacts,” Van Hollen wrote.

He detailed Amtrak’s economic footprint in Maryland, noting, “Given that Amtrak spent over $61 million on goods and services in Maryland during FY17 (the last year figures are available), over 2,200 Maryland residents are employed by Amtrak and over 2 million boardings and alightings occurred at Maryland’s six stations during the last fiscal year, I am especially concerned about the challenges ahead in the upcoming fiscal year.”

Van Hollen went on to emphasize the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Amtrak, stating, “Amtrak advises me that at this time next year – 7 months into the next fiscal year – ridership is projected to only be at 50% of their initial estimate for FY21.”

Without relief funds, Amtrak will be forced to make even further drastic cuts to the workforce, service, and capital projects.“At a time when the federal government should be doing what we can to keep people employed, these workforce reductions would be detrimental to our efforts to rebuild our economy,” he concluded. 

The full text of the letter is available here and below. 

Dear Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,

Recently, Amtrak submitted a supplemental FY21 funding request to House and Senate Leadership for an additional $1.475 billion over their initial FY21 budget request of $2.04 billion.

As a supporter of Amtrak, I am writing to request that you include these additional funds in the next COVID-19 response bill or in an upcoming appropriations measure as emergency spending. The funds provided to Amtrak in the CARES Act were enough to cover Amtrak’s expenses through the end of this fiscal year; however, their FY21 budget request submitted to Congress in February was based on a typical year projection and did not include a request for funds to address COVID-19 impacts. FY21 will not be a typical year for any mode of transit. Amtrak’s footprint in Maryland is significant. Given that Amtrak spent over $61 million on goods and services in Maryland during FY17 (the last year figures are available), over 2,200 Maryland residents are employed by Amtrak and over 2 million boardings and alightings occurred at Maryland’s six stations during the last fiscal year, I am especially concerned about the challenges ahead in the upcoming fiscal year.

Amtrak advises me that at this time next year – 7 months into the next fiscal year – ridership is projected to only be at 50% of their initial estimate for FY21. Without these supplemental funds, Amtrak will be forced to make even further drastic cuts to the workforce, service and capital projects, including state or good repair, Baltimore Penn Station and the B&P Tunnel Replacement Project. At a time when the federal government should be doing what we can to keep people employed, these workforce reductions would be detrimental to our efforts to rebuild our economy.

I look forward to working with you to support this critical funding. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,