Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act—Motion to Proceed—Continued
by Senator Cory A. BookerPosted on 2015-05-13
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BOOKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Amtrak Train Derailment
Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today with a very heavy heart
because of the horrific tragedy that occurred and is still unfolding
right now.
Late last evening, an Amtrak train, train No. 188--a train I myself
have traveled on--carrying 243 passengers and crew derailed in
Philadelphia. It has been confirmed now that seven people have died,
including Associated Press employee, husband, father of two, and
Plainsboro, NJ, resident Jim Gaines. More than 200 people were injured.
My deepest thoughts and prayers are with those who are suffering today.
I am so grateful for the work of the hundreds of first responders,
Amtrak crew, doctors, nurses, and many others who quickly,
courageously, and very professionally did their jobs and who no doubt
saved lives. As we speak, the search through the wreckage for more
people, living or dead, is still in process. All people have not been
accounted for, and I hope and pray our brave first responders can soon
account for everyone who was expected to have been on board.
The 243 people--including passengers and crew--many of whom boarded
Amtrak regional train No. 188 just half a mile from where I stand right
now--were headed to New York. They were on their way home, on their way
to work, to see their husbands and their wives, their children, and
their journey was horrifically interrupted when the train derailed
around 9:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Since the incident, my staff and I have been in contact with Amtrak,
the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad
Administration, and the Department of Transportation. The exact cause
of the derailment is unknown, although speed was definitely a factor.
We are in close contact with Amtrak officials and Federal investigators
who are working quickly to identify exactly what happened to cause this
disaster.
Amtrak train No. 188 was on a very familiar path. So many people take
this route. The train that derailed was traveling on the Northeast
corridor, which is one of the busiest corridors, a 457-mile rail
corridor that is the most traveled in North America. It is a
transportation lifeline, one of our main arteries connecting the people
of Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New
York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The Northeast
corridor transports 750,000 passengers every day and moves a workforce
that produces $50 billion each year toward our gross domestic product.
More people are traveling with Amtrak on the Northeast corridor than
ever before. Just last year, 11.6 million passengers traveled the
Northeast corridor. In New Jersey alone, 110 trains run daily along
this route. New Jersey Transit works in cooperation with Amtrak to move
trains along the Northeast corridor, where New Jersey Transit customers
take 288,000 trips on the corridor each day and 63.6 million trips a
year.
Yet, none of these numbers--none of them--are as important today as
that number of 243, the number of people riding on and working on
Amtrak train No. 188 last evening, or the 7 people who died. We are in
a time of great sadness.
As the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee that has
jurisdiction over rail safety, I want to also say that my colleagues
and I have been working in the Senate to develop policies and implement
new safety technologies that will improve rail safety and save lives,
and we have been working diligently to finalize a draft of a passenger
rail authorization bill.
Congress has not passed a passenger rail bill since 2008, and
authorization for that bill expired in 2013. It is unacceptable that
Congress has not acted to provide the needed improvements, investment,
and long-term certainty for Amtrak, and I will work hard to make sure
that we pass passenger rail, that it is a priority for this body.
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In fact, today we had intended to introduce this bill authorizing
funding and improvements to passenger rail in the United States. Today,
that was our intention. However, in light of this tragic event, Senator
Wicker and I have decided to monitor the incoming information and take
this opportunity to evaluate what other actions might need to be taken
as a part of the legislation.
I am proud of my colleagues who have worked so diligently to ensure
we get this bill done, and I thank the leadership, Chairman Thune and
Ranking Member Nelson, for their support. If there is an action that
needs to be taken to improve safety in the wake of this tragedy as we
are finalizing this bill, I know we can work together to make it a
reality.
That said, I must say I am disappointed in the direction of the House
appropriations process, which risks starving Amtrak of vitally
important funds at the very moment we need to be investing more in
passenger rail and our country's crumbling infrastructure.
Failing to make the proper investments in our Nation's infrastructure
is indeed crippling our competitiveness in a global economy. A 2012
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco report estimated that every
dollar invested in our national infrastructure increases economic
output by at least $2. Failing to invest properly in infrastructure
improvement is threatening the public's safety.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and loved ones
of the individuals who were killed or injured in last night's train
derailment. We still aren't certain of the exact cause, but this
incident is a searing reminder of the fragility of life. It is
important that we also remember that we should do everything necessary
to safeguard life, to make sure we have it and have it more abundantly.
Nothing can fix the damage that has been done to these families and
their communities. We all grieve as a nation for the loss of life and
pray for those injured, that they recover.
I say now that we must work tirelessly to prevent another tragedy
like this from occurring and that we must do everything necessary so we
as a nation can have a rail infrastructure and highways, roads,
bridges--have an infrastructure as a whole that reflects the greatness
of the people of our country.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
