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JUST IN: Trump Administration Issuing 18,000+ Holiday Bonus Checks!
It’s going to be a great Christmas for over 18,000 people who are getting Christmas Bonuses arranged by President Trump and Sean Duffy!
I can already predict what some of you are going to say: “That’s great Noah, but it doesn’t help me!”
And I get it.
But President Trump is doing everything he can, chipping away at ever nook and cranny he can find, so I love seeing the progress….and maybe tomorrow it will be you!
Now back to our main story….President Trump has cut a deal with Amtrak to essentially re-route money from their top executives’ perks and give it to the workers in a completely budget-neutral way:
BREAKING: In an incredible Christmas surprise, the Trump administration is sending $900 BONUSES to 18,000 THOUSAND Amtrak workers…
…and the money is coming from CUTTING top executives’ perks.
“It’s budget neutral. We aren’t spending more federal money or Amtrak money.… pic.twitter.com/tqsyYRPqKG
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 12, 2025
Sean Duffy also posted this video announcement:
Christmas is coming a little early this year for 18,000 @Amtrak frontline workers, thanks to leadership who gave back their holiday bonuses
The Trump administration is delivering LOWER COSTS and BIGGER PAYCHECKS pic.twitter.com/Cgk0RKc6j6
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) December 12, 2025
Reuters added more details around the checks:
More than 18,000 Amtrak workers will receive a $900 bonus before the end of the year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Thursday evening.
Funding for the bonuses will come from Amtrak’s executive leadership team bonus packages, the statement said. The federal administration urged executive leadership “to forgo 50% of the bonus packages that would have been paid out under the misplaced priorities of the previous executive bonus structure.”
Amtrak set all-time records for both ridership and revenue in the 2025 fiscal year, according to its annual report, with over $2.7 billion in ticket revenue from 34.5 million riders.
The bonuses were applauded by some unions representing train workers.
“End-of-year bonuses will now go to 18,000 front-line workers rather than being limited to the executive ranks. This long-overdue recognition of the employees who keep the railroad moving is a step in the right direction,” Mark Wallace, the president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen National union, said in a statement.
This all comes on the heels of this news from several months ago:
Amtrak CEO Resigns After Facing Pressure From Trump Admin
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has announced he will resign after facing pressure from the Trump administration.
In a statement, Gardner shared, "I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration."
He added, "I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support."
Gardner stepped down after Elon Musk called for Amtrak to be privatized.
Musk stated, “I think we should privatize the Post Office and Amtrak for example. … We should privatize everything we possibly can.”
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced that he is leaving his job Wednesday as the Trump administration threatens to pull back on funding https://t.co/IM2ZsAS21t via @citylab
— Bloomberg (@business) March 19, 2025
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner today: "I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration." https://t.co/z6ppjqCYZd pic.twitter.com/0vfrfY59or
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) March 19, 2025
Check out what The Hill reported:
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he would resign from his post in an effort to resolve concerns from the Trump administration.
“I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration,” Gardner said, reflecting on his start with the company as an intern.
“I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support. We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern, and a better travel experience for all our customers.”
His decision to relinquish control over the national passenger railroad service of the United States comes as Elon Musk has suggested privatizing the service.
“I think logically we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized,” Musk said while speaking at the Morgan Stanley conference on March 5, according to Newsweek. “I think we should privatize the Post Office and Amtrak for example. … We should privatize everything we possibly can.”
Amtrak responded with a five-page document titled “Proposals to Privatize Amtrak.”
BREAKING NEWS: Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced he was stepping down three years after taking the top position at the passenger railroad https://t.co/ukVZKi1agn
— Railfan & Railroad Magazine (@railfanmag) March 19, 2025
Per Fox Business:
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, also known as Amtrak, on Wednesday announced a major leadership change before expressing a desire to work with President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
In a statement, Amtrak said CEO Stephen Gardner was stepping down "to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration."
"I am so proud of what the Amtrak team has accomplished to bring passenger rail service to more people and places across the country over these past 16 years, and I thank the Board for their trust and support," Gardner's statement continued. "We did a lot together to make Amtrak safer, more modern and a better travel experience for all our customers."
"From my start as an Amtrak intern back in the 1990s to ending as CEO, it has been my honor and privilege to lead this great American company, and I wish Amtrak every success," he added. "See you on the rails."