Senate Amtrak hearing postponed

The office of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reported that, due to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recessing the Senate until Oct. 19 because of increasing cases of COVID-19, a hearing on Amtrak scheduled for Wednesday has postposed.

Tester is pushing aggressively to get the hearing rescheduled as soon as it is safe to do so, his office said.

McConnell has said Judiciary Committee hearings on the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett would confirm, but most of the workings of the Senate are on hold.

Bear Paw Development Corp. Executive Director Paul Tuss was scheduled to testify at the hearing about the importance of Amtrak’s long-distance routes and its importance to rural Montana and the Hi-Line.

The hearing was scheduled as Amtrak plans to cut this month the Empire Builder’s schedule from daily to three days a week.

Amtrak’s long-distance routes have seen a significant decline in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress appropriated $1 billion for Amtrak in the pandemic relief CARES Act to help maintain long-distance lines during the pandemic.