Washington (CNN) House Speaker John Boehner ripped a reporter Thursday for questioning him about Democrats' efforts to tie Amtrak funding to Tuesday's deadly train crash.

"Are you really going to ask such a stupid question?" Boehner told the reporter before she could finish her question. "Listen: You know they (Democrats) started this yesterday. It's all about funding, it's all about funding. Obviously, it's not about funding."

Instead, Boehner insisted that the train's speed -- twice the speed limit at the curve where the train derailed -- was the only relevant factor.

"The train was going twice the speed limit. Adequate funds were there -- no money was cut from rail safety, and the House passed a bill earlier this spring to reauthorize Amtrak and authorize a lot of these programs," Boehner said. "It's hard for me to imagine that people take the bait on some of the nonsense that gets spewed around here."

For years, Republicans have pushed to cut spending for domestic programs, and most have looked to lower spending on Amtrak in a bid to privatize the commuter railway. On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the New York-bound train crashed, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee voted to reduce grants to Amtrak by $252 million -- a drop of about 15% from last year's level, though the cut would apply only to Amtrak's capital spending and wouldn't touch funding levels for safety and operations.

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