White House forces out CEO of passenger railroad Amtrak [View all]
Last edited Wed Mar 19, 2025, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Reuters
March 19, 2025 5:52 PM EDT Updated 18 min ago
WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - The White House this week forced Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to step down as head of the U.S. passenger railroad after President Donald Trump sought the changes, two sources told Reuters. Gardner said on Wednesday he will resign immediately, ending more than four years as head of the railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier's support from the Trump administration.
"I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration," Gardner said in a statement. A White House official told Reuters Gardner had been asked to step down. An Amtrak spokesperson declined to comment on whether he had been asked to leave.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that Amtrak needs to address safety concerns at Washington's Union Station. "It’s time for Amtrak leadership to clean up Union Station," he said. "It’s time to rid our nation's treasures of homelessness and crime. Commuters and travelers need to feel safe in our capital."
Billionaire Elon Musk, who is advising Trump on plans to radically shrink the U.S. government, said earlier this month he thought Amtrak should be privatized. Trump, during his first term, repeatedly sought to cut funding to Amtrak, which received about $2.4 billion in annual federal support in 2023. Congress last week approved $2.42 billion for Amtrak through September 30 in annual funding. Amtrak said in December ridership topped 2019 pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time in 2024, reaching a record high even with less capacity.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-passenger-railroad-amtrak-ceo-abruptly-steps-down-2025-03-19/
45's and Muskrat's credos - "If it ain't broke, break it".
Amtrak already IS a semi-public/private "corporation" (it even has stocks - although privately owned by the government) and was subsidized by the government (state/federal) BECAUSE when its predecessor conglomerate of routes were FULLY "private", it was failing.
H.R.17849 - Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970