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The week ahead: GOP targets Amtrak, TSA as Congress returns to DC
Congress returns to Washington this week after a monthlong recess, and Republicans in the House are planning to pick up where they left off — bashing Amtrak.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday about the effect of Amtrak’s “monopoly mentality” on commuter rail service in the U.S.
Amtrak was set up by Congress to be the national passenger rail service in 1971, and receives about $1 billion in subsidies.
Prior to the congressional recess, Mica sharply criticized Amtrak for the cost of its onboard concession program, including a memorable trip to a McDonald’s near Capitol Hill to demonstrate that fast-food burgers cost less than Amtrak's.
The committee will also meet Wednesday to review the Federal Aviation Administration’s plans for converting the aviation navigation system from World War II-era radar technology to a satellite-based system known as NextGen.
The new system is projected to cost the FAA about $22 billion through 2025, but Republicans in the House have argued that the agency should better manage its resources to help fund the switch.
Additionally, the House Transportation Committee’s Highways and Transit subcommittee will hold a hearing Thursday to review the Department of Transportation’s truck and bus safety programs.
Also this week, the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee on Transportation Security will meet on Tuesday to evaluate whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can “evolve to meet the next terrorist threat” on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
