You're watching...
House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica calls for a 'better way' as Amtrak loses $84.5 million selling food and beverages last year...
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Can you imagine anything dumber than this.
Imagine sign a cheeseburger for nine dollars and fifty cents when it costs you sixteen dollars and fifteen cents to make it.
-- -- try this fun how much selling a soda for two dollars when it costs you three dollars and forty cents to serve it.
Sounds really down doesn't really don't but that's an Amtrak is doing and guess what guess who's paying for the millions of dollars an Amtrak losses.
That's right you are -- John Mica chairs a house transportation infrastructure committee he joins us.
Good evening -- and these numbers are absolutely.
Staggering.
These numbers.
How hard it's hard to believe Greta.
Get -- I forgive me -- yeah -- -- give us a sample the numbers.
Bob then -- in the last three years from seven -- nine million dollars a year loss -- this is captive food service you can't go anywhere else.
You know you can hop off the train and buy something and bring it back out.
Now while -- move him anyways.
But they've got captive service.
79.
Million dollar lost three years ago now they've got it up to 84 point five -- -- lost.
About you buy a bottle of water like you -- or drink for for two dollars it costs three dollars and forty cents.
The taxpayers under writing this for a dollar and forty cents or hamburgers.
Dollars and 75 cents.
Kind of in the number and that the American people have paid in lost since 2002.
Just on food on Amtrak.
It's 8349.
-- so let's get some state I ride Amtrak all the time.
With all due respect everybody it is the worst food.
Ever I mean they admit -- I've I've been music it's stunning evidence that anyone even I estimated at six dollars and fifty heads it's that bad they're -- he's cutting.
I urge people not the higher because.
You know it's adding to our deficits that you just stated that it's three quarters of -- billion dollars in loss in ten years.
By selling food at the public.
Wouldn't it -- But this element funny about it too because when you're on it if you want liking -- Sid Diet Coke and they say well look Pepsi do another -- -- 3040 cents.
They charges of which I learned about now we're going to charge two dollars -- may load up on the back to bring him back in the office.
I'm SA sarcastically.
How good defense -- why why really selling Pepsi mean I think -- they -- -- any effort to sort of you know wheel and deal with Coca-Cola to try to get a better deal where -- and forty cents a can.
Well we haven't looked ended their choice of vendors -- you know this is just this is again whether those tips of the -- where -- have 12100 employees.
Last time we investigated it I had the inspector general look at it.
And we found.
Thousands hundreds of thousands of dollars being ripped off they use cash from most everybody else is -- that credit card.
We're or two years later and they still haven't gotten to -- credit card specialist system money flying out the door we -- But dozens of employees fired -- we did -- staying to see where the money was going so.
You're only talking about the loss that is is transparent the rest of the loss.
Is is phenomenal and again what they captive food audience.
But yes is it -- in this almost makes this a -- business deal.
Look smarter because it -- so Linder is that image it's stunning that it -- it was cheaper to buy the solar panels in China than the -- -- here in the United States.
You wonder who is making these business decisions for any -- No what no one in his right mind would spend sixteen dollars to buy a hamburger and then turn around salad for nine dollars we know set Prasad no that's true but.
Credit gets worse now.
There were 28 million passengers on Amtrak a year ago every ticket was underwritten by the taxpayer.
Over 49 dollars.
And if you amortize the stimulus money that went for three years in -- Amtrak.
That shoots the cost of every ticket subsidy to 99 dollars for the taxpayers it's absolutely outrageous.
But I but -- -- from the corner from Washington New York it is almost always filled.
And the tickets -- mean there's a quite every quite a range of tickets get the same -- and pay 99 dollars or you can pay a 300 mean that there is a range on these tickets we.
I think if overrun smartly that it's a good business back not on the food which would that be better off to get mcdonalds and -- but and it went unanswered question -- -- empty buildings come out of the.
Radical ideas like people like it actually sell food or run a train and and do it with a profit.
You're you're outrageous -- -- let me ask you quick question of lesson now left what's the story it's in hearings on an empty building.
Another one -- our first one out in the field and my state.
178000.
Square feet courthouse MD and mine and made.
For five years.
And that kind of it's running it who came and testified asked him.
If he -- then one of those people who got a bonus.
Now I hear he's losing money one point two million dollars a year any got -- -- he wouldn't tell -- committee how much you have a well find out.
You heard about the outrageous bonuses in the multi billion dollar losses for all these properties across the country.
Our next serial be in Los Angeles stay tuned we're gonna take these buildings down one at a time.
I tell you what to do in this building and Florida I think the last word has built in 1933 -- pride beautiful building itself to the poor are getting good -- to sell out to dump truck at a great price he'd just run the old courthouse in DC -- converted to something but -- that's my business advice -- Donald -- but they don't take it -- grants.
You're in a radical woman thank.
