WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than eight years, the Amtrak board of directors has new members.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nominations of Christopher Koos, Anthony Coscia, and Joel Szabat to serve on the board, the first time the Senate has confirmed board members since 2015.
Koos, the mayor of Normal, Ill., had been nominated three times. Coscia joined the Amtrak board in 2010 and has been serving as its chairman since 2013, continuing to do so since the expiration of his term while no new members were confirmed. Szabat, nominated for the first time last year, had previously served on the board as the representative of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao from 2019 to 2021. All three had been previously confirmed by voice vote of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation following a hearing in June 2023, but their nominations had been placed on hold because the Biden administration’s full slate of board nominees did not meet requirements for geographic balance [see “Senators remain concerned …,” Trains News Wire, June 21, 2023].
Szabat was confirmed by a vote of 96-1, Koos by a 91-7 vote, and Coscia by a 79-18 vote.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the committee on commerce, science, and transportation, said in a Tuesday statement that she “applauds today’s confirmations” of the three nominees and looks forward “to the work they will do to enhance the passenger experience and improve reliability.”
Koos told WGLT-FM, “It has been a long time coming, but I am looking forward to the work ahead. Amtrak is in a unique position to expand its services nationwide. It is a challenge, but I’m flattered to be chosen to be a part of that.”
U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a statement that Koos “has a long history as a powerful, positive voice in Illinois’ transportation sector. He understands the importance of passenger rail to communities in Illinois, the Midwest, and nationwide. … We voted for his confirmation today with the confidence that he will grow and protect Amtrak’s national network.”
The vote came after U.S. Sen Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who had been one of those placing a hold on the nominations over concern about the geographic issue, said in a statement earlier Tuesday that the White House had “committed to comply with the law and will be sending the Senate nominees that better represent all passenger needs. Upon that commitment, I intend to advance the Amtrak board of director nominees this week, so they can get to work bolstering our entire nation’s rail system.”
Amtrak is governed by a 10-member board, including the U.S. Transportation Secretary; Amtrak’s CEO (a non-voting member), and eight members nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Share this article
