Union-Station, originally uploaded by xtol7

Via David Alpert comes the news that President Bush plans to veto an Amtrak funding bill because it doesn’t provide accountability or reform Amtrak. The legislation, House Resolution 6003 (see Beyond DC’s summary) would (among other things) fully fund Amtrak for five years, legitimately expand and study high speed rail in the Northeast and create State matching grants.
Reading between the lines, the main objection starts and ends with not killing Amtrak. This marks the second time in as many weeks a Republican has tried to kill Amtrak, all in the name of competition, reform or modernizing rail service.
Note the objections:

But the White House says the measure provides little opportunity for competition on existing Amtrak routes and doesn’t include provisions that would condition Amtrak’s funding based on the progress of reforms.

Funny how the Federal Highway Administration’s $40.3 billion per year budget receives no reformation requirement and lacks any other competition while mass transit’s detractors attempt, both overtly and covertly, to defund and eliminate mass transit programs.
The transparency of the recent Republican proposals to mitigate high gas prices vacillate from the silly (gas tax holiday) to the disastrous (ending Amtrak) reflect the deeply unserious nature of the proposals at hand. I look forward to a veto fight with the current President and his party just in time for the Presidential Election.
Update
11 June 2008
Providing for the consideration of H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Amtrak funding bill passed, 227-187 with all democrats voting Yea (except Baron Hill – IN).
Bring on the Veto – we dare you.