Led by Philadelphia Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Rep. David Price (D-NC), and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), the Democrats from the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday offered an amendment — during committee markup of the 2016 T-HUD bill — to provide Amtrak the full $2.45 billion in funding requested in President Obama’s budget.

“Every day tens of thousands of passengers travel our nation’s railways on Amtrak — a majority of those along the Northeast Corridor where yesterday’s tragic accident occurred,” Fattah said. “These riders deserve safe, secure, and modern infrastructure. While it’s too early to speculate on the cause of last night’s derailment, ensuring safety and reliability on our railways requires substantial investment in Amtrak and it is imperative we continue to prioritize our country’s investment in transportation infrastructure.”

"Yesterday's tragedy in Philadelphia should be a wake-up call to this Committee — we must provide sufficient funding for Amtrak’s critical infrastructure projects to ensure a safer transportation system," Price said. "The majority’s shortsighted, draconian budget cuts stand in the way of the investments that a great country must make."

The tragic Amtrak crash in Philadelphia took place just hours before the Appropriations Committee began its markup of the 2016 T-HUD bill, which would provide a mere $1.14 billion for Amtrak, $251 million less than the 2015 enacted level and $1.31 billion less than the President’s budget request, causing Amtrak to defer critical maintenance and capital investment.

But the amendment proposed by Fattah, Price and Lowey failed by a vote of 21-30.

The Agenda Project Action Fund, described as a progressive policy organization dedicated to ensuring public officials serve regular Americans, is urging residents to call Rep. Hal Rogers, Chair for the Appropriations Committee at (202) 225-4601 and Speaker John Boehner's office at (202) 225-0600 to “demand that they table any cuts to Amtrak's budget until we know exactly what happened.”

“As you read this the House Appropriations Committee is considering a bill that will cut more than $250 million from Amtrak.  Money that could be spent upgrading tracks, train cars, and technology — money that might prevent the kind of tragedy that happened last night,” said Erica Payne, founder of AP Action Fund.