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Tester Continues Block On Amtrak Nominees

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, has announced that he will continue to block President Biden’s nominees to serve as members of the Amtrak Board of Directors for failure to comply with the geographical representation requirements which he secured through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Five of the nominees are from Northeast Corridor states, directly violating provisions secured by Tester to ensure full geographic representation and firsthand knowledge of long-distance routes on the Amtrak Board. None of the six nominees are from Western states.

Speaking at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Tester emphasized that he wrote the geographical requirements into law to ensure rural America has a seat at the table.

“Look, I have made my position on nominees clear as it applies to the Amtrak board. I was one of 10 people - five Republicans and five Democrats - that negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure law. It did not happen by accident, we intentionally put language in that would have the Amtrak board members reflect our nation’s geography with specific requirements on how many members could come from Northeast Corridor states relative to other parts of the country. The administration put forward a list of very good nominees, incredibly good nominees. But they did not comply with the geographic requirements,” Tester said.

He expressed his frustration with the administration’s failure to comply with the law, and reiterated that he will block the entire slate until the law is followed.

In April, Tester announced in a letter to President Biden that he would block the Administration’s current slate of Amtrak nominees. Tester’s announcement received the support of Montana rail passenger leaders.

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