Document e71odGmEe2vB0EZpO7RoKp8Km

Sean Duffy, Secretary Budget Hearing -- U.S. Department of Transportation Rep. Pete Aguilar Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies House Committee on Appropriations California High Speed Rail Question Background: The United States is behind other countries in implementing high-speed rail systems. In an effort to compete globally, California is in the process of building two high-speed rail systems: Brightline West and the California High-Speed Rail Project. In February, you announced your review of about $4 billion in federal funding obligated to the California High-Speed Rail project. Last week, President Trump said that the California HighSpeed Rail project will not receive any more federal funding. I'm aware that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has sent you over 80,000 pages of documents to comply with your review of the project. Question 1: Will you commit to working with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to remedy any issues that the Administration has with the project, so that we can bring high-speed rail to the United States? Question 2: California remains committed to bringing more high-speed rail projects to the United States. Will you work with the California delegation to secure federal funding for these innovative projects? OST-2025-1200 Page 02212 Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0028093 Sean Duffy, Secretary Budget Hearing -- U.S. Department of Transportation Ranking Member Rosa L. DeLauro Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies House Committee on Appropriations Deadline for Submission: Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 5 PM EST Amtrak Reduction in Force Question Background: Amtrak is of critical importance to our economy, particularly to my constituents and others who live along the Northeast Corridor and rely on this service to connect to school and jobs, including me. I regularly travel the Northeast Corridor (NEC), so I know that the NEC rail service is the lifeline of the $6 trillion economic region spanning 12 states from Virginia to Maine. Last week, Amtrak announced that it would be cutting about 450 jobs. More than 10 percent of those jobs were in "Safety and Security" positions, and another 20 percent were in Capital and Service Delivery positions. It is my understanding that Amtrak views these cuts as necessary based on a "review of their management structure". But I am very concerned that these personnel cuts will hamstring Amtrak's ability to manage the historic investments that Congress funded to improve passenger rail through the Infrastructure and Investment in Jobs Act. This funding improves safety, creates good jobs, and will lay the foundation for historic rail improvement. Question: Has DOT or the Federal Railroad Administration since consulted with Amtrak to determine how these decisions would impact their service delivery across its network? To what extent will Amtrak be able to manage its rail infrastructure and improve the safety of rail across America without the administrative staff to carry out these projects? Ongoing Federal Investments in Rail Question Background: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided long overdue, historic funding for rail, but it will be important to maintain a consistent, long-term investment in both passenger and freight rail to meet growing demand and maintain safe, reliable service. Funding needs to be stable and disbursed in a way that gives our respective state departments of transportation the ability to be timely, effective, and responsible stewards of federal funds. Disruptions in funding -- intentional or otherwise -- can lead to project delays and cost overruns, which benefit no one. Garrett Eucallito, Connecticut's commissioner of transportation and the current president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials provided testimony to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week that I hope you and your colleagues at USDOT have had the opportunity to review. OST-2025-1200 Page 02213 Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0028094 Question: Have you had an opportunity to see AASHTO's recommendations for rail programs? Question: Can I get your commitment to reviewing this testimony and working with me and my staff on a longer-term conversation about the future of Federal Railroad Administration funding to ensure that we are setting our states up for success in meeting our long-term goals for American railroads? Hudson River Tunnel Question Background: The Northeast Corridor Hudson River Tunnel Project is integral to speeding up train times from Florida to D.C., especially along the Northeast Corridor from DC to Boston. The project is of critical importance to our economy, particularly to my constituents and others who live along the Northeast Corridor and rely on this service to connect to school and jobs, including me. The NEC rail service is the lifeline of the $6 trillion economic region spanning 12 states from Virginia to Maine. Question: Please provide an update on what DOT has done to move this project forward and provide any budgetary concerns or needs with respect to the project. OST-2025-1200 Page 02214 Sierra Club v. Dept. of Transp. - 3:25-cv-06221 SC_EVERSPLIT0028095