Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 - Government Affairs (Federal and External Affairs) - 90290801 - Washington

Your success is a train ride away!

As we move America’s workforce toward the future, Amtrak connects businesses and communities across the country. We employ more than 20,000 diverse, energetic professionals in a variety of career fields throughout the United States. The safety of our passengers, our employees, the public and our operating environment is our priority, and the success of our railroad is due to our employees.

 

Are you ready to join our team?

Our values of ‘Do the Right Thing, Excel Together and Put Customers First’ are at the heart of what matters most to us, and our Core Capabilities, ‘Building Trust, Accountability, Effective Communication, Customer Focus, and Proactive Safety & Security’ are what every employee needs to know and do to be most impactful at Amtrak. By living the Amtrak values, focusing on our capabilities, and actively embracing and fostering diverse ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives, together we will honor our past and make Amtrak a company of the future.

 

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

Amtrak typically serves more than 30 million people a year in over 500 cities across the country.The Government Affairs intern is responsible for learning and supporting the department in its corporate legislative strategy with key stakeholders in Congress and appropriate federal departments. This strategy underpins the federal government’s investment in passenger rail for decades to come. Our team works hard to ensure that Congress is well informed about the best decisions they can make to ensure intercity passenger rail is even more relevant to our customers in the years to come.

 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Punctuality in terms of meeting previously agreed schedules for being in the office or for other events and timely notice of absences or changes to schedules.
• Attending Capitol Hill meetings, or meetings with outside groups, with a member of department staff.
• Attending public hearings, alone or with a member of staff, as the situation warrants.
• Research projects, data entry/analysis/visualization, recording keeping of key data that could include: votes, demographics, election cycles and transportation trends.
• Document organization, either for permanent files and/or for meetings, events or hearing preparation.
• Strong writing skills to support congressional correspondence, memos and testimony.
• Assistance with special events, such as large travel groups, student tours, or dignitary travel.
• Other activities as they arise.
• Business attire.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must be actively pursuing a degree at an accredited educational institution.
• Must be actively pursuing an undergraduate degree in Political Science, Public Administration, Business Administration or a related field.
• Must have at least 2 years of academic undergraduate studies completed or a junior status at minimum.
• Must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.
• Able to function in a collaborative work environment and communicating orally and in writing within the corporation and externally.
• Demonstrates a set of core values that includes humility, mission, courage, justice prudence and self -control.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• An understanding of the legislative floor and Committee procedures as well as the workings of Capitol Hill.
• An understanding of authorization and appropriation legislative processes.
• Basic understanding of transportation industry.
• Cover letter and short 1–2-page writing sample is recommended.

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, time sensitive environment with frequently changing priorities, tasks and deadlines. Frequently manages multiple projects simultaneously. 
• Ability to communicate, comprehend, and respond to verbal statements and instructions, both orally and in writing. Ability to work under pressure.
• Frequently resolves issues with conflicting priorities in cognitively demanding situations. 
• Constantly, or frequently, uses a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse and other related electronic equipment and software to perform a variety of tasks.  
• Ability to work in an office building environment. Ability to work in a remote location with access to wireless internet and phone while outside of the office or traveling on business.
• Ability to walk throughout all parts of transportation facilities and mechanical yards wearing personal protective equipment when necessary.
• Frequently or occasionally travels throughout the country as required (via airplane, train, automobile,