May 14, 2015

From The Agenda Project, the same fine folks who brought us the devastatingly effective ad in which Paul Ryan pushes Granny from a cliff, Erica Payne writes today:

In the wake of the tragic Amtrak crash that killed 7 people and injured 200 more, today, the Agenda Project Action Fund released a new ad demanding an answer to a critical question: Did Republican Cuts Kill . . . Again? You can see the ad HERE. Before clicking on the ad, please know that the content is very graphic. While the details are still emerging about the central cause of the crash, it is clear that additional funding could likely have prevented the tragedy. The New York Times reported that the crash could have been prevented with the installation of a safety system known as Positive Train Control. The Association of American Railroads says that it would require an additional $5 billion to complete the installations throughout the country by the end of this year. Instead of considering a strong investment in our nation’s rail system - which would not only benefit millions of Americans but also contribute countless millions in the form of new economic development and employment opportunities - Republicans have slashed Amtrak’s funding every year.

The ad targets Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), Chair of Appropriations Chair, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House John Boehner and dozens of other GOP leaders who have called for slashing crucial funding to Amtrak and other programs.

Republican Cuts Kill . . . Again is Part II in a planned multi-ad, multi-year attack on GOP reckless budget cuts. Click here to watch the video

The video comes one day after GOP leaders – before learning the cause of the crash - voted to cut Amtrak’s budget by more than $250 million. According to officials who operate the Northeast Corridor, the route faces a $1 billion annual shortfall in capital needs—and has a “state-of-good-repair backlog” of 11,100 major projects and 4,800 basic infrastructure repairs needed on the company’s most travelled train line. Year after year, Republicans have run for office almost exclusively on cutting spending. Many of those cuts have been utterly reckless. It is high time someone points to the real human costs of this kind of irresponsible governance. The egregious and utterly unnecessary cuts to Amtrak prevented vital upgrades to our aging railways and crippled the system that transports more than 30 million American citizens each year.

We plan to run this ad in Kentucky against Chair of the Appropriations Committee Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY). If you would like to contribute to PUT THIS AD ON TV, please click here.

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