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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Thursday it has helped redirect “exorbitant” executive payouts at Amtrak — put in place under the Biden administration — into $900 bonuses for more than 18,000 frontline workers.
The DOT said it reached an agreement with Amtrak’s management and board of directors to shift roughly half of leadership bonuses to Amtrak’s unionized frontline employees this holiday season, recognizing what officials described as a “record year” for ridership and revenue.
“Due to the urging of the Trump administration, end-of-year bonuses will now go to 18,000 frontline workers rather than being limited to the executive ranks,” Mark Wallace, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said in a statement. “This long-overdue recognition of the employees who keep the railroad moving is a step in the right direction.”
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In a post to X on Friday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reiterated the announcement, noting “Christmas is coming a little early” for the 18,000 Amtrak workers receiving the bonuses.
“The Trump administration is delivering LOWER COSTS and BIGGER PAYCHECKS,” Duffy said.
The move follows the Trump administration’s push for Amtrak’s executive leadership team to forfeit half of the bonuses they would have received under what the DOT described as “misplaced priorities.”
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“Under the Trump Administration, [DOT] discovered Biden-Buttigieg-era bonus structures for Amtrak’s executive team that resulted in exorbitant payouts for senior staff,” the agency said. “Under Secretary Duffy, [DOT] will restructure these levels to be more competitive to ensure employees are properly awarded.”
Earlier this year, Duffy similarly criticized the Biden administration — particularly former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — for leaving behind an “unprecedented backlog” of critical infrastructure safety improvements across the country.
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A spokesperson for Buttigieg, who is a rumored 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, dismissed the DOT’s criticisms at the time as “nonsense.”
Fox Business has reached out to Buttigieg and former President Biden for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
