[gavel sounds] sen. Wicker this full Committee Nomination will come to order. Order. This morning the committee will consider four nominations to key transportation positions. The nominees before us today are eric soskin, nominee for Inspector General for dp of transportation. Robert pmbing rimus, nominated to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board. Sara feinberg, nominated to be a director of the amtrak board of directors. And chris coose, nominated to be a director on the amtrak board of directors. The Inspector General of transportation oversees audits of the d. O. T. s programs with the end goal of ensuring our national frppings system is safe, efficient and effective for the american people. Eric soskin has been nominated for this Important Role. Hes a senior trial counsel in the federal Programs Branch at the u. S. Department of justice where he has served since 2006. During his tenure at the justice department, he hasing mored complex litigation an was chose fn a detailed assignment as policy counsel in the office of attorney general civil division. Early in his career he served as clerk for a Federal District court judge. He is a graduate of williams college. And earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. Sen din as an independent organization the work of the Surface Transportation Board is vital. Robert primus has been nominated to serve as a member of the board. Hes a longtime staff member to multiple members of the u. S. House of representatives. He has served in senior roles in the house including chief of staff and Senior Advisor. While working with former congressman Michael Capuano in the time that he was Ranking Member of the house transportation and infrastructure subcommittees on railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials, mr. Primus gained valuable expertise on matters involving rail policy. His legislative experience includes work on the surface transportation reauthorization act of 2015. After graduating from hampton university, mr. Primus began his career on the hill with the late senator frank lautenberg, a distinguished member of this committee. The amtrak board of directors provides guidance and direction to National Railroad Passenger Corporation or amtrak. Sara feinberg is one of two nominees to be a director of the amtrak board of directors and she joins us by video link. Ms. Feinberg has notable experience in Passenger Rail matters. She is currently the interim president of the new york city transit, the largest Transit System in north america. From 2015 to 2017, she served as the acting administrator and ad mrtor of the federal Railroad Administration. While serving in this role she was transportation secretary she was she was transportation secretary anthony foxs designee to the amtrak board. She formerly served as chief of staff at the u. S. Department of transportation. In private sector role, and as a special assistant to the president and Senior Advisor to the chief of staff under president obama. Chris coose has also been nominated to serve on the amtrak board of directors, he also joins us via video. Hes served as mayor of normal, illinois, since 2003 and a principal achievement for his municipality in this time was the development and con instruction of a multimodal station servicing amtrak ridership in down state illinois and texas eagle trains. Previously he served as councilmember for the town of normal and hes a Small Business owner. He served as infantry platoon ader with the armys 101st airborne air mobile vision in vietnam. I want to thank all the nominees for testifying today and for your willingness to serve in these important, instrumental transportation sector roles. I also want to thank senator cantwell for her cooperation in our preparation for this hearing and recognize her now for any opening remarks. Senator cantwell thank you, mr. Chairman. We have nominees for three agencies with exteemly important transportation mission. The first is the amtrak board of directors. Amtrak faces a series of critical challenges in the near future as we deal with the severe decline in travel as a result of the covid19 pandemic. In an effort to address these challenges, amtraks management has proposed severe cuts in service including reducing Long Distance trains to three days a week and deep staff regular duckses. Im very concerned these cuts may significantly harm communities served by amtrak and threaten the longterm viability of our National Rail network. I hope that my colleagues will step up in this next covid package and make sure theres support for amtrak, the communities, and the work force. Amtrak also needs leadership and im pleased we have two excellent nominees for the amtrak board of directors here. Sara feinberg served as administration of the Railroad Administration from 2015 to 2017 and in her current curn role as president of new york city trance it. During her time at f. R. A. She sat on the amtrak board and is well aware of the challenges facing amtrak and the importance of rail service to communities across the nation. E are also joined by chris coose, mayor of illinois. His city is served by two amtrak routs, including one Long Distance line, the texas eagle. Hes keenly aware of the value it provides small an mid sized communities. We are yened by Robert Primus nominated to serve as a member of the Surface Transportation Board. S. T. B. Plays an Important Role in resolving Railroad Rate and service disputes as well as reviewing rail mode mergers an restructuring activities. Hes had a long career as a congressional staffer including working on these activities in the house transportation infrastructure so i look forward to hearing his views on these very important issues. Finally, we have the nomination of eric soskin to be Inspector General of the u. S. Department of transportation. The Inspector General of d. O. T. Plays a key role in not only preventing waste, fraud, and abuse but also ensuring that the agency carries out its core Safety Mission for our nations transportation network. One area the i. G. Is currently investigating is is the federal aviation administrations certification of the 737max and cubs sent subsequent response to crashes of the aircraft. I saw yesterday by the f. A. A. On South Carolina for intimidation of employees who were part of the f. A. A. Certification process. The very issue we try to fix in our legislation that we worked on together. Thing that he the didnt agree were any problems yet now we see them issuing fines. Clear think there is a problem and there is intimidation. We want an independent work force that will let the engineers be engineers. Let them to the work and not have fear of intimidation or so anyone i look at that Interesting Development yesterday mr. Chairman and look forward to getting back to those issues. The Inspector General act of 1978 specifically states the i. G. Should be appointed without regard to political affiliation and solely based on integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, audit, financial analysis, law, management analysis, Public Administration or investigation. So i will be asking you questions because i am concerned that i want to know that you have the experience that lines one this important position that oversees so many infrastructure jobs in the United States and definitely plan to ask you a question. The white house expressed its intent to nominate mr. Soskind on may 18, the same day a longtime employee of the d. O. T. Inspectors office was removed by the president. Im concerned the timing of these things. So i hope we can spend some time addressing those concerns today. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for this hearing and i look forward to hearing from the nominees. Senator wicker thank you. Two of our members would like to say words of introduction. I now turn to senator young. Senator young thank you, mr. Chairman. I am delighted today to introduce to the committee and to the senate the nominee for Inspector General for the department of transportation, eric soskind. Hes a fellow hoosier we had an opportunity to speak on the phone yesterday. Eric spent his formative years he spent his formative years in the indianapolis area as i did. By and large, erics experience as a career Civil Servant and his valuable expertise in the law will bring confidence to the important position that he aspires to hold at d. O. T. Following his early years in he over the last 14 years. So he has extensive experience. Prior to joining the d. O. J. , eric worked for judge paul s. Diamond in the u. S. District court for eastern pennsylvania. Thus far, eric has built a reputation as an exemplary Civil Servant and tremendous legal advocate. Im delighted that hes taking on the challenge of Inspector General at the department of transportation. He has Great Potential to bring objectivity, accountability, and integrity to d. O. T. Which is precisely what we want from this position. Eric, thank you. Thank you for someone with your incredible credentials, someone of your caliber, clearly your heart for service, for your desire to serve in this capacity. Mr. Chairman, i thank you for the opportunity to introduce this great hoosier to this committee. Senator wicker thank you very, very much, senator young. Im told that senator durbin is ready to join us via video link. Are you there, richard . Senator durbin im here, can you hear me . Senator wicker yes. Senator durbin good. Thank you for giving me a few moments to introduce chris coose, mayor of normal, illinois. Hes been a good friend of mine for years. Those of us fortunate enough to represent smalltown america know theres an ongoing battle to save downtown in virtually every one of those communities. Normal, illinois, has done this under the leadership of its mayor chris coos, who has been in that position for 17 years. The most important element of that is the fact that he centered it on the Amtrak Service in downtown normal. Normal turns out to be the number two station in the state of illinois for amtrak passengers. Over 240,000 a year. Its the home of Illinois State university and illinois wesleyian university. There are lots of students moving back and forth as you can imagine. Hris decided to build an intermodal facility in downtown normal as an anchor for the redevelopment of downtown. I hoped helped him secure a 22 million tiger grant and moved forward with a beautiful facility. He capitalized on that and turned it into 173 million more of investment in downtown. You have to see to it blove it to believe it. It really does make you feel good that amtrak is at the heart of this effort. Hris is an amtrak passenger. Hes also a Small Businessman in the normal community. He always wants to keep people moving. His business sells Running Shoes and bicycles. In addition to his love for amtrak he has a passion for people on the move. Im glad to be getting a few words of support for chris today. Hes a dear friend of mine. Hes tackled challenges and has a vision which i think amtrak will benefit from. It was chris who decided that his town of normal would electrify all the vehicles the town used. For that he received national recks any. Hes just a step ahead, time and time again. Im honored to call him a friend. I think hell be a great asset when it comes to the future of amtrak. Senator wicker thank you very, very much, senator durbin and also senator young. We appreciate you spending time with us today and vouching for these nominees. Thank you so much. At this point, i want to recognize the witnesses for opening statements. As is the custom, your full statements will be placed in the record at this point and we ask that you summarize your testimony in five minutes or under so mr. Soskind, youre recognized for your statement. Welcome. Senator wicker, Ranking Member cantwell and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I appreciate your consent for placing my full statement in the record which i will summarize here. Thank you all for arranging this hearing. Consistent with Public Health guidance. Thank you also to the president for nominating me to serve as Inspector General of the department of transportation. It is a profound honor. Id also like to thank senator young of my home state of indiana for his words of introduction. Our great Hoosier State always remains a place i long to see and be. Aam likewise grateful for the support of my family, friends and colleagues. Especially my wife, a naturalized u. S. Citizen who came fearlessly to this country as an doesnt to study accounting and realize her dream. She inspires me every day and has made me the luckiest person i know. I would also like to thank our two children, aaron and lev who bring so much curiosity and joy to my life. Am so proud to be the father of each of you. At an early age i learned that Public Service is a high calling and have aspired to heed that call. My father, a lawyer, was a leader in fighting to protect the civil rights of institutionalized persons. My mother began her career as a librarian before becoming an expert on emerging technologies, education, and training. My career in Public Service has also been inspired by many mentors along the way. I wish i had the time to recognize them all today for the roles they have played. Since entering Harvard Law School in 2002, i have been committed to Public Service, joining the department of justice as a career Civil Servant and representing the United States with independence and integrity for nearly 14 years. As a litigator with the federal programs brampling, i provide leadership in a vast array of matters, representing agencies from across the entire executive branch in legally difficult, high stakes and politically sensitive lawsuits that affect the lives of millions of americans or involve moneys of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds. Ing moring many of these cases at one time as a generalist, one of my core skills is digging deeply into the complex details of new statutes, program, and situations to quickly understand the issues and objectively assess the challenges they entail. Law enforcement agencies are among my most important clients an my practice involves leading cross functional teams, directing factual investigations, and communicating orally and in writing with many types of stake holders. Throughout my career with the department of justice across three administrations, i have upheld the highest standards of professionalism of the department. These are all skills that will lend themselves directly to my successful tenure as Inspector General of the department of transportation. My experience working across Government Agencies has led me to recognize the Critical Role of the Inspector General in each agency in combating waste, fraud, and abuse and advancing efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of government programs. An i. G. Should be, like me, a leader passionate about upholding Public Confidence in our federal institutions and sustaining our democracy. By ensuring accountability and thereby delivering the results the public is entitled to expect from their government. As i. G. I will provide oversight to the department and ensure that core d. O. T. Values areup held including safety for the traveling public and efficiency in the departments programs to sustain and improve the arteries of public prosperity. Beyond my experience and dedication to Public Service, i bring to the job of Inspector General a trained, fresh eye, accustomed to looking at complex situations and establishing priorities. That is a vital skill in an office that routinely initiates new audits an investigations to safeguard taxpayer funds and to ensure that the department adheres to the letter of the law and the established will of congress. I would be honored to lead the office of Inspector General and staff of talented career civiler is vans in a accordance with congress commands of independence and objectivity. If confirmed, i will act with integrity and be honest and impartial in continuing the offices work. My team and i will use the tools established by congress and the i. In the i. G. Act to provide accountability, promote Transportation Safety and enhance Public Confidence while maintaining the offices high standards of clear, timely and Transparent Communications with you, the rest of the congress, and the public. Thank you again for this opportunity to be considered by the senate and to appear before you. I sincerely appreciate your time and look forward to answering your questions. Senator wicker thank you very much. Mr. Primus, youre recognized. Thank you for affording me the opportunity to appear before you today in consideration of my nomination to serve on the Surface Transportation Board. There are several people responsible for my success who, due to the pandemic, could not be present with me this morning and i would be remiss if i did not take a moment to acknowledge them. I would like to thank and acknowledge my amazing wife, gladys, for her love and unwavering support. My three energetic and trainloving sons, benjamin, jay cob and Aaron Francis my mother bettying, my sister marcine and her family and my brother michael. I would also like to acknowledge the influence and support of my late father, william primus. Lastly i want to thank my friend, mentor and teacher, former congressman mike capuano, for giving me the opportunity to serve as chief of star for 18 of the 20 year he is served in congress. My desire to serve the Surface Transportation Board is born from the idea that i want to continue my career in Public Service, assisting in the oversight of something of interest to me an significant importance to our nation. Y fascination with surface transportation began as a child surrounded by people who worked for railroads and then by working with congressman capuano. During that time i was afforded the opportunity to work directly with the various sectors of the Rail Community and gained a more complete understanding of the legislative and regulatory policies that govern our National Rail network. The Surface Transportation Board plays a Critical Role in ensuring our nations rail network is sound and functioning properly. This committee specifically and the congress as a whole recognize the boards importance through the passage of the Surface Transportation Board reauthorization october of 2015. Through the legislation, this committee strengthened the authority of the board to oversee, investigate and adjudicate matters that have long been a concern to industry stake holders an congress alike. Paramount among these concerns is the need to address deficiencies associated with the rate case process. Chairman begamin along with Board Members have since made considerable strides to address the issue. I look forward to working with them to implement changes that, consistent with sound economic principle, will streamline the rate case process to substantially reduce costs and timelines and ultimately enhance the boars effectiveness in handling such cases. Another area of interest is the attention the board gives to smaller and midsized shippers thatlass 2 and 3 railroads provide services to our small towns around rurem radio url communities. In my time in congress i made sure that the concerns of constituents who did not have the resources to navigate the process were appropriately heard. If confirmed it would be a prior toy ensure the voice of the small shipper and small regional and short line railroads are amplified and their concerns con to be important to the board. I also plan to amplify the importance of our nations Passenger Rail service. As someone who grew up riding trains and continues to do so when visiting real tiffs in the south im acutely air ware of the importance of Passenger Service to the National Rail and in particular to the many Rural Communities thatry rely on it. I applaud the efforts to address issues related to Passenger Rail service. I look forward to working with other rail Board Members on issues that are of concern to the Rail Community and in jurisdiction of the board. In closing i have sought over my nearly 25 years of Public Service to build a reputation centered on objectivity and fair mindedness. Which in turn has allowed me to become a strong consensus builder and problem solver. I hope to bring my background solving complex and multidimensional problems into a Regulatory Environment where i believe an unbiased, thoughtful, unconventional approach will lead to fresh ideas and ultimately solutions to some of the challenges the board is tasked to address and resolve. Again, thank you for the opportunity to come before you this morning. I look forward to answering your questions. Senator wicker thank you, very, very much. We had some technical glitches with our remote witnesses yesterday. Madam Ranking Member, i have a feeling these two are going to go very smoothly. So lets turn to ms. Sara feinberg. Ms. Feinberg are you with us and can you hear us all right . I am, i can hear you and i can see you and hopefully you can hear me and see me. Senator wicker ok good. You are recognized for five minutes and thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you so much. Chairman wicker, Ranking Member cantwell and the other distinguished members of commerce committee, i want to thank you for holding this mornings hearing during what is an unprecedented time for this country and this body. I know your time is incredibly valuable and you have many demands on your attention an i thank you for your service and for your interest today. I am i appear in front of you as a nominee to the amtrak board of directors. This is a board i served on previously in 2016 and 2015 and 2016 while also serving as federal railroad ad mrtor at the u. S. Department of transportation. As federal administrator i served as the countrys safety regulator of both passenger and freight rail. During that stint on the amtrak board i had the opportunity to help shape the companys approach to safety, its continued implementation of positive train control and its approach to make its system more accessible to all. I also worked closely with the company and my fell he Board Members as we implemented Service Improvements across the country including on state supported rout theansd Long Distance service including the concentration of the return of Gulf Coast Service. At each turn i felt the board was able to simultaneously work with the company and with the congress including this committee and its and protect tax payroll dollars. To that end, there is ag second extent on the board as an opportunity to push forward wrl safety improvements for all passengers and the traveling public and taxpayers. Thout a doubt, amtrak has an unprecedented moment. Its finances has been severely impacted. Ridership has decreased. While cleaning costs have risen. Amtrak is taking the right steps , cleaning and requiring masks and social distancing. I believe members of the amtrak board have a fiduciary responsibility to the board and taxpayers. They have a spops built and share a commitment for improving safety. Senator wicker thank you very much. Koos, ow turn to mayor can you hear us loud and clear . Mr. Koos i can. Senator wicker thank you for joining us. The mayor koos as snerble] snerble] i thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I thank this committee under the leadership of your leadership for including Passenger Rail in the surface transportation bill nd thank the president and the secretary for advancing my nomination and i would like to thank congressman davis and lahood for their strong support. If con filmed, i hope to bring my experience as a mayor and amtrak customer to the board of directors. These experiences somewhere instilled in me that Passenger Rail is a necessary investment that increases mobility and improves the equality of life for all communities it serves. I have seen positive impact firsthand which serves by amtrak station. The station has been key to revitalizing the town of normal business district. This would not have happened if the Business Community and Community Business leaders didnt recognize Passenger Rail. I have a deep respect for the organization and history and its employees who are committed to making amtrak a Reliable Transportation option for all americans. I believe that the Healthy National Passenger Rail system will be crucial to solving many of the toughest problems we face, and fighting Climate Change and to create new and sustainable jobs. Amtrak can be a valuable partner of this solution. The ch as i admire amtrak, organization faces challenges if my appointment to the board of directors. As a member of the board, i would reaffirm my support. My community is served by state supported and Long Distance lines. I recognize the importance of Long Distance travel for many of my constituents who are unable to travel biplane, bus or car. Amtrak plays a role with independence of the disability community. In order to make Passenger Rail an option, we need to improve ontime performance and engaging in metrics and new standards and freight Rail Companies accountable for following an greed time tables and amtrak will be a safer system. I would advocate for safe rail crossings, and right of way improvements for safer conditions and decreased travel times and improved performance nd Safety Culture. And to my community and our nation. I hope i have the opportunity to work closely with the members and staff with the entire congress to create a more efficient are are rail system for our country. I look forward to your questions. Senator wicker thank you, mr. Mayor and thank you to all of our witnesses. Well now move to questions. And there is a question that i required to ask each of you and so i will ask the question and call on each of you for a yes or no answer in turn. If confirmed, will you pledge to work collaboratively with this committee and provide thorough and timely responses to our requests for information as we Work Together to address important policy issues. Mr. Costello yes. Mr. Primus yes. Ms. Feinberg yes. Mr. Koos yes. Enator wicker let me say its no secret that the Ranking Member and i are supporters of Passenger Rail. It plays a very Important Role in our economy. I would like to see it enhanced and expanded and i assume all of our witnesses feel that way, too. For ms. Feinberg and mayor koos, i hope you now by now, i have long service for the gulf coast route from new orleans to mobile. The Southern Rail Commission has received a consolidated improvements grant awarded for 33 million. Ms. Feinberg, you are familiar with this because in a prelves position, you came down and rode train with me and state officials and federal officials and saw for yourself at each stop local support for Gulf Coast Service. Are you committed to working with me to restore this route if confirmed . I am. I remember that trip fondly. That was a lovely day and i was realm nissing it with your staff. And it was a Beautiful Day in new orleans and it was a great day for amtrak. So i continue to be supportive of returning Gulf Coast Service and happy to work with you and your Rail Commission and others to move forward. But look forward to working with you on it. Senator wicker it was amazing the number of local citizens just massive crowds that came as o join us at each stop we left new orleans and then made our way across the coast. Think yout koos, i would ride that train with me on the gulf coast. Mr. Koos my association with one of your former mayors reminds me all the time that i have to Pay Attention to the gulf coast routes and has invited me to go down there. I would certainly be honored to join you and to learn as much as can about that route, but i can assure you former mayor smith keeps me well innormed on that. Senator wicker that speaks well in your favor also. And i can say for those who are listening that do not know john robert smith, he was a long time mayor of meridian, mississippi, and he knows firsthand the value of a mediumsized city of Passenger Rail, because that is a route that has been successful and continues to be successful and i think his experience there as mayor and were Passenger Rail with the Passenger Rail industry in germ after that, has demonstrated to him that there is a role nor passenger role the major as outside corridors. Ms. Feinberg, did you shut down totally in transits and give us a minute about what you may have learned from the virus impact in new york city, the largest Transit System . Ms. Feinberg we were new york was at the epicenter and leading edge of the virus. Toll on taken a m. T. A. That is hard to describe, 131 of my colleagues vr passed away from covid. So it is something that even as our state is seeing numbers of those impacted by the disease go down and positive tests go down, it is something much we are still in the middle of and living with every day. The saddest thing we learned and [indiscernible] i can give you a couple of examples and happy to continue the conversation. We have taken an all of the above approach to make sure our system is safe. We are disinfectanting and cleaning stations twice a day and 247 cleaning regimen and cleaning our rail cars, three, four, six times a day. We havent shut down the service. And we are closed down from 1 00 to 5 00 a. M. Because it makes our cleaning efforts to not have riders. That is a huge change for new york city transit. I think that last point is very important, whatever sector, keeping our work force safe providing us transportation is the key thing that we focus time on. The hearing gives us a lot to cover here in a Broad Spectrum of people and i have to jump around. But lets start with you, mr. Cost kin. Independent of your job is critically important. A recent report that the i. G. Must be independent. And the president amoved the d. O. T. Career official and installed an administrator to fulfill both of those roles. The g. A. O. Has expressed concerns that it is not being consistent with the requirements and other professional standards. Would you agree that the abrought removal and replacing bias . S an appearance of [no audio] i remain and what happened there and about various positions within the administration that i think are overly political, but lets go to the amtrak organization and the two nominees we have here. Obviously amtrak is critical for. Illions of people coastal lineso serve many communities. What kind of commitment can we get that youre going to preserve the amtrak Long Distance service in the economic lifeline it provides to Rural Communities . [indiscernible] thank you. I am very committed to the National Network of longdistance trains. Without those trains, we dont have a National Network. I think it is crucial for the function of amtrak. I think people sometimes cross over the Long Distance routes, saying they are from point a to realize the dont trains for shorter distances along those corridors, and it is a critical part of our daily operations. Nowderstand the need right to be prudent about the frequency of those routes, and i am strongly committed to, at such time as we can safely travel through the country without the fear of covid19, to returning Daily Service on the Long Distance routes. Routes. Senator cantwell commitment to preserving a service. You will have my commitment and well aware of the importance of that long aware of that service to those communities and the employees there acting at touch points. Senator cantwell in 2017, we had a horrific accident which claimed the lives of three individuals and the chairman of the ntsb provided an ominous warning about the amtrak Safety Culture and said it is failing unless it changes its way. The former c. E. O. Testified about improving the Safety Culture and this is a very big issue. Think you probably are both aware of the accidents that happened when the train derailed a maiden it was voilage and awareness didnt seem to be there. Will you ensure that reforming the Safety Culture is going to help us that we have a Safety Culture that remains a top priority at amtrak . Absolutely. Mr. Koos we are about safety and safe critical system. Senator cantwell im going to ask for a followup in writing and continue to focus on that. I think we definitely want to have service andville challenges with covid. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator wicker you are next. Before nominees for the amtrak board will be asked the same questions by maybe several f us, i appreciate senator cantwell and you expressed your support for long travel Passenger Service. Im here to make sure that the nominees understand what they answered in their commitment to long dance service. I thank our nominees. I wish the Inspector General confirmed success and this is an important component of how congress should do its job and i want you to do it well. And let me begin with ms. Feinberg and mayor koos. I have experienced an attitude in prior times on a bias against or at least not in favor of Long Distance Passenger Service but a bias against service that cant make a profit on its own. My view is amtrak is oip to provide Long Distance service. The metrics of whether it should exist is not profitable. We have toll make certain that service is available to all mericans with geographic diversity across our country. The previous nominees have received my vote in this committee and received me placing a hold on their nomination before the senate could consider them. And that would be the same in this circumstance. I want to let me take a step back and indicate at various points in time, i have seen who is the southwest chief that runs through colorado, new mexico and kansas has been in the crosshairs of amtrak and it is my view to engagement and intrusion with a commitment of its future longevity. Wrm covid there is perhaps an kews for reduction of service. Or significantly reduce where it is no longer viable and other Long Distance routes. And so one of the things that i understand from amtrak is that they have criteria they would determine to restore funding for Long Distance service and one of those is the ridership levels in 90 of 2021 is within amtraks projected numbers. That requires to have a lot of faith in the numbers of amtrak so that something less than what you project doesnt become an ex clamation of why we can no longer support Passenger Service. Would you tell me again, and i will ask you to respond to me in writing so i dont have to delay your confirmation on the senate floor and assure me if you are a member of the amtrak board you will not look for the excuse that covid19 might present for the elimination or significant further reduction of that service. In other words, we struggle with maintaining our service with the needs on a daily basis and now with reduced service, i think ridership will be less viable and not more viable, so a criteria that amtrak is creating is making it more difficult. What would you like to assure me about . That is the measure that i would use to judge the viability of the Long Distance routes. Writingledge to you in my support for the longdistance trains. I appreciate thank you. Ireciate severe answers appreciate both of your answers. I appreciate what you had to say, and will follow through with you. Mayor, i dont know the geography well enough of illinois come up at the southwest route originates in chicago. It is a longdistance distance route that involves your home state as well. Thank you. , yourator brand position has made very clear this morning. Thank you for that line of questioning. Senator blumenthal. Thehank you to all of nominees for your willingness to serve. You and i have worked very closely. I think my colleague has said, we need to link one country. That is one of the points that has been highlighted and we need to think about existing track and rail cars but about significantly upgrading them, reimagining what rail transportation can be in this country. It isnt all that difficult because other countries are ahead of us. Theyll take amtrak and rider ship will increase if it provides the kind of service that i hope the other nominees are dedicated to provide. Et me ask you, mr. Cost kin. Inspectors general in this country are more vulnerable than any time. The president has fired a number of them as you know. The state Department Inspector germ without any explanation after his predecessor was fired because he was investigating the secretary of state. The inspectors germ need more protection. We support legislation that would forbid firing inspectors general without good cause. I am currently counsel of record in investigation representing the United States on matters pertaining to executive officers and their their removal. Both in light of that and lack of fall lacerate with the lemmings, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on specific legislation. I share your commitment to objectivity and independence on the part of inspectors germ and it is a necessary part mr. Blum bloom bloom this white house has interfered in investigation. And whatever your assurance is, without some greater protection, you as other inspectors germ will be to the same improper, would you look at that legislation and get back to me with a position on that . Mr. Soskin i will look at the legislation and provide you with our input and assessment if i am confirmed as inspector germ. Who are you representing . Mr. Costello its litigation about the independence of executive officers and their appointments. Whats the name of the litigation . Mr. Soskin several of the cases involving acting general Matt Whitaker when he was serving as acting attorney general of the United States and those cases have cases. What was your involvement as ou said in your resume involving executive orders on travel and immigration . What specific cases . Mr. Costello i have been involved in a number of politically sensitive cases. They have to be of significant which cases on travel and immigration . Mr. Soskin i was involved in entry to the united tates including muslim ban . Cost mr. Soskin some people labeled it. Were you lead counsel . Mr. Soskin i was one of many couple on the team to defend those enactments. Did you participate in the policy making relating to those orders . Soskin my involvement was litigation counsel. I was involved as litigation counsel. What was your involvement in the department of justices ban or bump stocks . Mr. Soskin when i was on detail worked on roll, i the drafting of what became the rule trading bump stucks as machine guns. I have been involved in lead litigation counsel in defending that ban against challenges for preliminary injunctions and we successfully defeated and on the merits what was your involvement in the clinton emp mail litigation . Mr. Soskin i was one of many lawyers defending the state department against lawsuits by various outside groups and some of them interest organizations and media groups seeking to obtain secretary clintons personal emails as part of the information that came to light have you ever conducted an investigation . Mr. Soskin a core part of my responsibility in defending litigation for the United States is overseeing investigations into the factual circumstances of the matters that are challenged. Routinely supervise teams gathering information and seeking to lay out a factual basis on which we will be defending lawsuits and highlight could you give me a specific example please. Mr. Soskin of what . Your conducting an investigation. Soskin in the he cases in that we had involving the cancellation of the trademark of the football teams then called the washington redskins, one of the allegations in that case alleged is a large scale matter of the constitutionality under the First Amendment of the statute under the trademark ffice operated and it involved whether there was political involvement indecision making and as part of that case, we had to run down [indiscernible] ratesply put, the current are not working for rail shippers or the public. This issue has come before the transportation board most recently because of empty seats on the board. I look forward to the day when i do not have to ask nominees for a commitment to take up competitive switching proposal, it is sonk that necessary to provide competitive rail service. So if confirmed, would you witht to moving forward the pending rulemaking on competitive switching . And with you, this committee as well as the stakeholders within i can say i will commit to working with you on resolving the issue of reciprocal swi tching and the issues that surround it. This has gone on for some time, and i hope to be a part of the solution with the rest of the existing board. Thank you for that. I want to continue by noting that rebuilding our economy gives us the opportunity to build back better. And i expect the same is true for freight rail, but i have been concerned for significant changes adopted by the major railroads as part of their railroading for t. S. R. These changes in operation were poorly communicated to rail success mers and under that movement is an essential product. Underlying the t. S. R. Playbook is a focus on shortterm gains. If confirmed, what would you do ensure that t. S. R. Is not prioritizing Share Holders over rail service and jobs particularly as we work to rebuild our economy . I believe that there has to be a solution to some of these concerns, and i think i want to play a role in addressing these concerns and bringing a fair and equitable solution to psr into the communities impacted by it. My last question for you, Canadian National announced its intent to sell its network in the Upper Peninsula of michigan. And has jurisdiction, Line Construction and line abandonment, i encourage the boards oversight should a sail occur. Throughout my process, this will be on rail customers, particularly our manufacturers and agricultural producers. Do i have a commitment from you to give attention on this matter . Absolutely, senator. In my statement, as i said, im very concerned and i want to amplify and advocate on behalf of a lot of the communicates that are going to be affected moving away from these areas, most of them rural and small communities. I think there may be opportunities for class 2 and 3s and get engaged and assist in these areas. But you have my commitment to work with you and with the stakeholders to make sure that the rail system that they rely exist. Ntinues to i had some questions for mr. Saskin, but for mr. Im not going to ask them. I dont think you are being straight up. Quite frankly, you have been put into a position that is highly political now, and you need to address that and how you are going to handle that moving forward, and you have yet to do that, so theres no need wasting my time on questions that revolve around that. Feinberg. For ms. Im a longdistance guy, too, and we have been fighting with everybody because it seems like they want to cut the Long Distance routes. I have the same perspective as senator moran on this. I think it would be a huge mistake. If you get confirmed, what are you going to do on offense to make those longdistance routes more appealing and more rider friendly . Thank you, senator, for the question and i hope you can see me because i captain see any of you. Thank you for the question. Needs to hat amtrak do is improve riders and Dining Experience or the experience in their private rooms or the reliability experience and service experience. I think there are things we can o to bring ridership and all. Avel and this could be an opportunity for amtrak and happy to work with you and your staff as we walk through those issues . Mr. Koos i would he can coo what ms. Feinberg said. Modern equipment. Understanding what the customer wants, monitoring that and measuring that is critical for the improvement of the service. The empire building is not wasted on me, senator, while it goes through some beautiful country, it does miss major population areas, et cetera. But again, modern, clean equipment and service that ople want, maybe Different Levels of meals service. We have to understand what customers want. If you get confirmed, i had a notion and hopefully you will back it up with actions but we will have a conversation and i nt want to [indiscernible] let me ask you this and aps this yes or no, do any of you live on the Railroad System in new york . Yes. Do you think there are thing that are done that could implement the United States to make our system more user friendly . Ontimeld say, senator, performance and modern cleaning equipment and reasonable male service. And get all levels of it. It is a model that we should look at. To get from t is one mode of transportation to another. And movement from airports to rail. And thats something amtrak is an important thing for us to get belter on in the United States if we want people. Benchmarks and staffing cuts, while they continue to ask for supplementals and how these folks are going to deal with that. You dont have to answer that. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you, Ranking Member. Senator wicker if there are no further questions maybe ill just keep going. Senator wicker you could take a round two or three. But as to your last comments, we will leave the roofered open for two weeks and is customary during this time, senators are asked to submit any questions for the record with the deadline with close of business thursday, august 20 of this year. And so the committee asked witnesses upon reset of any questions, you submit answers as soon as possible. T me finish the sentence, no later than september 3, 2020. I think somebody i indiscernible] thank you, mr. Chairman. I appreciate everyone for being here today. Like everyone else. We in nevada and Amtrak Service and wanted to tell you how important it is and comes to know surprise to your nominees that we do have service in northern nevada. It is a vital link in and out of street communities. These are places that depend on Reliable Rail Service to bring travelers in and out of their communities and 84,000 riders who travel. And if you ride on that line, you will see the beautiful mountains and valleys. Im quite sure. And lots of our riders, veterans and seniors and go into reno and other kinds of things. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen this service been temporarily cut. This is a job issue. Indiscernible] i need to protect their safety and ability to move around as much as i do. Ollowing up questions from the senators, i was hoping i would get a commitment to ensure that people in nevada as well as other Rural Communities wonderful beautiful communities to have Long Distance service. Senator feinstein im happy to go first. Nice to see you. Happy to work with your staff. I know this is important to the people of your state and recognize your commitment and look forward to working with you. Mr. Koos i would agree with that. I would support Amtrak Service through the state of nevada and any state it goes through in terms of the National Network. It is critical to maintain frequency and what makes it work. I couldnt agree with you more. Thank you for being here today. Thank you, mr. Chairman of giving my beauty of northern nevada. Thank you. Senator wicker i cant wait to visit there. Come on. Senator wicker we apologize for not having you in the cue for question and answer. Are there other senators that i may have missed . If not, i made the announcements and with that, i believe let me check with counsel. There being no further business, this hearing is concluded. And i think each of our witnesses and they are all four excellent choices. We are adjourned. Mr. San nicolas captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org [indiscernible chatter] [indiscernible] cspan. Org [indiscernible] [indiscernible] this week, cspans the contenders looks at the lives of 14 men who ran for the presidency and lost that changed political history. Watch the contenders this week at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Starting tonight, 1844 president ial candidate henry clay. Has covered every minute of every president ial convention. This months conventions will be like none other in history. Plans for both gatherings are being altered. The democrats will meet to nominate joe biden as their president ial candidate the week of august 17. And President Trump will accept his partys nomination the following week. On monday,starting august 17, the Republican Convention starting monday, august 20 fourth, Live Streaming and ondemand at cspan. Org, or listen with the free cspan radio app. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. Host reihan salam, president of the manhattan institute, in a recent column for the wall street journal, you wrote the twin crises of covid19 and the recent civil unrt
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