Two weeks out from Election Day, House Republicans pressed Amtrak about Joe Biden’s campaign over concerns about the draining of resources from the taxpayer funded transportation service.
“We are concerned that the Biden campaign’s use of Amtrak’s charter train redirected Amtrak’s scarce resources during a time of record losses, employee layoffs, and service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Reps. Eric Crawford, Bob Gibbs, Scott Perry, and Lloyd Smucker wrote in a letter to Amtrak CEO William Flynn on Tuesday.
Biden has been campaigning using an Amtrak charter train in his “Build Back Better Express Tour” to meet with people in several states while traveling through rail. The longtime Delaware senator-turned-two-term vice president has long used Amtrak throughout his political career, commuting daily between Wilmington and Washington, D.C., for 36 years.
The lawmakers requested information about Biden’s train tour, including the total cost to Amtrak, if they are following COVID-19 precautions, and the number of Amtrak employees that substituted their regular duties to staff the campaign charter train.
Matt Hill, the Biden campaign’s deputy national press secretary, defended the campaign’s use of Amtrak, which has been used by several presidential campaigns in the past.
“Anyone can charter a train with Amtrak. Last time we checked, no one can charter the White House South Lawn for a political convention,” Hill told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kimberly Woods, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, told USA Today that operating charter trains is an important revenue source for Amtrak and the campaign was offered its standard practice and market rate for its use.
“There were no discounts or scheduling preferences,” Woods said. “The railroad industry has a long history of operating special trains for public officials on both sides of the aisle, and Amtrak has been part of that.”
