(Washington, DC) Ranking Member of the Railroad Subcommittee, Rep. Corrine Brown, denounced the Amtrak Board’s decision to fire David Gunn. Gunn had bipartisan support and has been credited with making major improvements in Amtrak’s management. This latest move by the Amtrak Board will no doubt slow the progress Amtrak had been making with Gunn’s Leadership.

“This is just a last ditch effort by the Administration to derail Amtrak when the momentum in support of Amtrak is clearly growing,” said the Congresswoman.

Representative Brown points to the fact that the support for Amtrak in the House and Senate has never been stronger. In June, the LaTourette-Oberstar amendment to the FY2006 Transportation appropriations bill, which increased funding for Amtrak to $1.176 billion. On the same day, Rep. Brown’s amendment to preserve long-distance routes passed the House on a 269-152 vote. The Senate has now passed its Transportation appropriations bill with $1.45 billion for Amtrak, and recently passed the Lott-Lautenberg Amtrak reauthorization bill as an amendment to the Budget Reconciliation bill. Over the life of the bill, Amtrak’s operating subsidy is reduced by 40 percent through cost cutting, restructuring, and reform, while capital funding is increased.

Brown is also questioning the Board’s authority to act, and said that “current law requires the President to appoint seven members to the Board. These Members are supposed to have technical qualifications, professional standing, and a demonstrated expertise in the fields of transportation or corporate and/or financial management. According to GAO, the administration is not in compliance with current law, as there are presently only four Directors on the Board, and two of those appointments are about to expire at the end of this Congressional session.

“As U.S. Airlines continue to fall into bankruptcy, Amtrak is at its highest ridership level in history, Congress and the administration must continue to work for Amtrak, not against it,” said the Congresswoman.