FY2017 Federal budget news is good!

[afigg]

Trump actually likes trains and has been quoted three times as complaining that the US doesn't have a train system like China's. Furthermore he isn't bothering to staff the lower levels of the departments, so it's probably going to be the permanent bureaucracy making the decisions.

Don't be surprised if we still get quite a few "multimodal" TIGER grants, probably for the stuff which is heavily backed by state governments which couldn't find another pot of money for it. They're specifically *not* supposed to be for straight-up highway work. CREATE in Chicago will probably make a push to get grants again, and with the freight component, they might.

You are more optimistic on the decision process for the FY17 TIGER grant applications than I am. Perhaps the permanent federal employees will make the decisions as acting agency and department heads, but they will still get guidelines from the political appointees, starting with Secretary Chao, on the process. I think the political need to spread the grants around to Congressional districts and states will keep the grants from being all road and highway projects, but I expect the balance of grants will tilt away from what we saw with the Obama administration. Probably more grants to rural projects. Which, OTOH, may see several freight railroad related rural region projects selected that incidentally improve portions of Amtrak routes.

As for the Chicago CREATE projects, their best shot for getting significant federal funds is the FASTLANE grant program. FASTLANE is authorized as a 5 year program, so it is not dependent on the annual appropriations. And can provide larger single awards than the TIGER grant program. US DOT had a submission deadline of December 15, 2016 for the $850 million in FY17 funding. There has been no news since then, presumably due to the change in administration and the very slow process in filling the appointed positions.

 

[afigg]

In other good news ...

... the bill directs the DOT to move ahead with specific FFGAs, including $150 million for Maryland’s Purple Line rail project, and $100 million for the Caltrain Peninsula Electrification project that the Trump Administration had indefinitely suspended.

The direction to provide funding for the Caltrain electrification project is a bit of good news. I suspect Minority Leader Pelosi and the 2 Democratic California Senators had a hand in this to make sure that the CA House Republican members would not be able to get the Trump administration to defund the project.

The Maryland Purple Line project was all set to sign the FFGA last August, but got stalled by a Federal judge who put the federal funding on ice because of a legal filing by the (rich) NIMBYs in Chevy Chase, MD. Long story there with Maryland having won a ruling, but the delay has put the FFGA at risk with the Trump administration budget proposal to kill all future New Starts FFGA awards.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Losing the long-distance trains was never a realistic possibility. They remain safe.

They remain every bit as safe as the long distance trains that have already been cut in the past. This wasn't even the big showdown budget and you're already claiming perpetual victory. I guess you just choose to believe whatever lets you sleep at night.

There are valid reasons and historical precedent to believe Amtrak's long-distance routes are realistically safe. There are rather weak and implausible reasons to believe the sky is falling in regard to these same services just because of a change in political agendas.

That is what some said in 1979 too. Feel free to believe whatever you like. Fortunately many are not as sanguine.

I wasn't aware all the long-distance trains were cut in 1979. Good thing Amtrak restored most of them, gives me hope for the Floridian.....I think we're arguing degrees of possibility, for which draconian Amtrak cuts are a minor, unrealistically tiny possibility. "Belief" is probably the wrong word; My statements are based upon history and objective fact.

Losing all long distance trains in one fell swoop is unlikely. That being said, losing one or a few long distance trains during yet another tax rebate/reduction budget battle is entirely within the realm of possibility. As Scott Walker has repeatedly reminded us it's much easier to destroy popular programs and services simply by pitting them against each other and singling out one or two at a time for public ridicule and practical dissolution. In era when even basic pro-business functions like EXIM have become partisan attack vectors nothing is sacred. If you were truly being objective and factual you wouldn't be acting like the budget battle is over or pining for long distance expansion no reasonable person sees on the horizon.

 

[Acela150]

Any word on Hudson River Tunnel funding??

 

[jis]

Nothing specific in 2017 approps. That would be part of the 2018 one and probably will require a separate item. There is not enough authorization in the FAST Act for it.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Let us remember we have survived prior attacks on Amtrak by advocating and fighting like hell. I'm not worried about what will happen if we do that. I'm worried what will happen if too many of us assume things are safe.

 

[jis]

Let us remember we have survived prior attacks on Amtrak by advocating and fighting like hell. I'm not worried about what will happen if we do that. I'm worried what will happen if too many of us assume things are safe.

^^ ** THIS ** ^^

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Let us remember we have survived prior attacks on Amtrak by advocating and fighting like hell. I'm not worried about what will happen if we do that. I'm worried what will happen if too many of us assume things are safe.

^^ ** THIS ** ^^

Even more concerning is that some members are intentionally muddying the waters with dishonest assessments and revisionist history. There's a special place in purgatory for people who rally others to sit on their hands and do nothing.

 

[west point]

An agreement is not a passed bill. Until the House and then the Senate passes a bill and then a conference committee irons out differences not necessarily about Amtrak and then both houses passes the compromise and US president sign then and only then can we breath a sigh of relief of FY 207 and then we start over for FY 2018.

Don't we just love run on sentences ? ?

 

[Lonestar648]

Reading the headlines, it sounds like there are enough votes in both houses to pass the bill. Trump is praising the agreement, so his signature is nearly guaranteed. So much for FY 2017, but Trump is saying a government shut down in September is needed to make his changes. This is the time frame that to me looks dangerous for Amtrak funding. In the mist of a Government shutdown, so much secret negotiating happens in many attempts for a settlement, that it would be easy for Amtrak Funding to be quietly cut.

 

[cirdan]

Prdon me if I missed something, but is there anything on the Caltrain electrification in the budget?

 

[jis]

Yes. $100 million.

http://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Caltrain-may-get-100M-in-budget-deal-but-11116397.php

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Amtrak is a popular punching bag because in the scheme of the budget it is really tiny, and in the eyes of a good number of people it is really visibile, and a certain cadre of the unwashed public it is wasteful. Fighting over it is a storm in a teacup to keep people's eyes off much more wasteful and silly and important stuff that they would object to if they knew about it (partially because people really do have no idea about politics, economics, or how any of it actually works).

It's like my wife and I fighting over 50 cents on a restaurant tip to avoid talking about the fact that dinner was $750. Only more so.

Amtrak is kept alive because the amount of money we actually fight to appropriate for it is irrelevant. It is always strangled for the same reason. The fight must go on to keep its reason for existence (the muddied water) alive.

 

[CHamilton]

GML, I totally agree. Let's have a civilized discussion about what this country's priorities should be, rather than declaring certain areas as sacred cows.

 

[afigg]

An agreement is not a passed bill. Until the House and then the Senate passes a bill and then a conference committee irons out differences not necessarily about Amtrak and then both houses passes the compromise and US president sign then and only then can we breath a sigh of relief of FY 207 and then we start over for FY 2018.

I think the omnibus bill was the product of the conference committee. The House can pass a bill pretty quickly when the leadership wants to and has the votes. Which it has with the Democrats on board, The Senate can take longer if a Senator wants to slow the bill passage down, but the process appears to be in place to pass the FY2017 appropriations before the end of the week.

Ergo, the House just passed the FY2017 appropriations bill by 309 to 118. The bill goes to the Senate.

 

[Poindexter118]

I'm glad it looks like Amtrak is going to get the money it needs to survive. Almost a month ago, I wrote a letter to President Trump asking him to reconsider his plan to gut Amtrak. I also wrote to our Senator asking her to vote against the cuts.

I think some people discount the power of a letter, but maybe this time it helped.

 

[Carolina Special]

Republicans were too afraid of being blamed for a shutdown so they gave the Dems most of what they wanted this time. Including a bit more Amtrak money.

Not saying contacting your reps about Amtrak wasn't a bad idea, particularly for the next round of budget negotiations. But the truth is Trump failed the art of the deal. This time anyway.

 

[jis]

Is that why he is now ranting about shutting down the government in October?

 

[Lonestar648]

I think most people felt a CR was going to take us to September to close out FY 2017. It is FY 2018 that is of concern. Trump is now saying the country needs a tough shutdown of the government. It is during these minute negotiations that things, like Amtrak, can get thrown under the bus. All the more reason ALL our Senators and Representatives need to know how we feel.

 

[chakk]

Can someone confirm what happened to the proposal to eliminate funding to ALL long-distance trains that was reported heavily in media?

Do all LD trains stay, are some of them getting the axe, or is there still a risk we may lose ALL LD trains?

Can someone confirm what happened to the proposal to eliminate funding to ALL long-distance trains that was reported heavily in media?

Same thing that happened to repealing Obamacare.
The right wing billionaire haters want to cut, cut, cut. But when people figured out they would lose their medical coverage, or the trains they ride, and started raising hell, Congress remembered it was supposed to represent the people.

The billionaire zealots won't give up, of course, but LD trains survive to another day.

Do you really think ANY of the 571 billionaires in the USA are concerned enough about Amtrak spending damaging their wealth status that would make an effort to have it cut from the Federal budget so that might save $5 on their tax liabilities?

 

[Carolina Special]

Bloomberg reports that the Northeast Corridor Commission now says that $38 billion is needed to keep the NEC in good working order. The NEC Commission released a report today: should be fun reading for my weekend.

The $38 billion is supposed to be up 36% from a year ago. At any rate, whatever large amounts are spent won't be going to LD trains.

 

[jis]

And all of that won't be coming from the federal government either.

 

[Carolina Special]

No, but the state and local authorities will be trying to maximize the amount coming from the federal government. In the name of fairness, of course.

 

[A Voice]

Let us remember we have survived prior attacks on Amtrak by advocating and fighting like hell. I'm not worried about what will happen if we do that. I'm worried what will happen if too many of us assume things are safe.

^^ ** THIS ** ^^

Even more concerning is that some members are intentionally muddying the waters with dishonest assessments and revisionist history. There's a special place in purgatory for people who rally others to sit on their hands and do nothing.

Setting aside that there is no such thing as Purgatory, nobody has suggested people should "sit on their hands and do nothing". What some of us have stated is that there is a proper time and place for the most effective communication with legislators. There was simply no need to get all worked up over the initial DOA Trump budget document (that he likely didn't personally author). When the Amtrak FY2018 - and not just another Continuing Resolution (CR) - budget numbers come up for active consideration, and particularly if the legislation and numbers aren't kind to Amtrak in general or the long-distance trains in particular, then that will likely be the best and most effective time to contact your Representatives and Senators.

A fifth or fifteenth letter you send this year to a legislator concerning Amtrak carries far less weight than a well timed (and well written) first or second contact.

 

[railbuck]

I think most people felt a CR was going to take us to September to close out FY 2017. It is FY 2018 that is of concern. Trump is now saying the country needs a tough shutdown of the government. It is during these minute negotiations that things, like Amtrak, can get thrown under the bus.

I know it's a figure of speech, but it seems like for Amtrak, getting thrown under the bus would be the ultimate indignity.