Save Amtrak: improve it, don't kill it.

Fight congressional Republican attempts to de-fund Amtrak. House Republicans are targeting Amtrak once again, introducing a proposal to reduce funding for Amtrak operations in 2012 from the current level of $563 million to $227 million. They also want to strip federal funding from short routes, which make up almost half of all Amtrak ridership. The federal government last year spent more than $40 billion on highways — more than it has spent on Amtrak in its 40-year history.