The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Chairwoman, I rise today to offer an
amendment to H.R. 4745. This amendment would prohibit funds from being
used to subsidize Amtrak food and beverage service.
As my colleagues know, Amtrak operates at a loss every year,
partially due to millions lost in the food service cost. In 2012,
Amtrak lost $72 million
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on its food and beverage service, and that loss is just one in a
consistent series of losses. This loss on its own would be cause for
concern, but even more concerning is that the loss directly violates
the law.
Madam Chairwoman, in 1981, Federal law mandated that Amtrak break
even on its food and beverage service by the following year, 1982.
Despite this, Amtrak not only failed to break even, but it contracted
with high-end chefs to develop gourmet recipes for Amtrak meals, to the
tune of more than $905 million in the last decade.
Heavily subsidized routes feature dishes such as lamb shank and
Atlantic salmon, and Amtrak has a Culinary Advisory Team to develop new
high-end recipes. In 2012, a hamburger cost Amtrak $16.15, with riders
paying $9.50. This means that we, the taxpayers, are forced to pick up
the tab for the remaining $6.65 through subsidies provided to Amtrak.
On some routes, first-class passengers are offered complimentary
cheese, wine, and champagne. While the passenger may enjoy these luxury
items, it is not fair that the taxpayer is forced to subsidize these
extravagances.
Each spring, Amtrak brings together some of the best chefs in the
country for a retreat of sorts. These chefs--several of them, of
course, award-winning--come together for what The Washington Post has
called ``an intensive 3-day session of cooking and brainstorming.'' At
last year's gathering, chefs tasted more than 100 offerings. Of the
recipes tested, including recipes for braised pork chop and a spinach
and mushroom frittata, several will be deemed unsuitable for offering
on Amtrak either due to kitchen limitations or due to a lack of
cohesiveness with the rest of the menu.
Madam Chairwoman, I ask you: When the average American is struggling
to make ends meet, why are we throwing away money at Amtrak for these
luxuries, especially when Amtrak consistently operates at a loss?
If a private company wants to host a brainstorming weekend for top
chefs, that is its prerogative, but the taxpayer should not be on the
hook for a getaway focused on developing lavish meals for Amtrak
passengers.
Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize Amtrak, and they
certainly should not be forced to cover tens of millions of dollars in
costs to pay for gourmet meals and first-class service on Amtrak.
Amtrak's food and beverage losses violate the law. Yet this is
flagrantly disregarded. Rather than taking steps to correct the
problem, the service goes after more upscale options.
We must end this cycle of wasteful spending and enact real change to
get our fiscal house back in order. With a national debt of more than
$17 trillion, we cannot afford to keep throwing money away,
particularly on luxuries such as gourmet meals on a federally
subsidized train service.
For that reason, Mr. Mica and I are offering this amendment to
prohibit funds made available by this act from being used to subsidize
Amtrak food and beverage service. I urge my colleagues to support the
Gingrey-Mica amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.