Monopoly Busters Caucus Chairs Call Trump’s Attempt to Fire Rail Regulator Robert Primus A ‘Giveaway to Wall Street and the Big Railroads’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Monopoly Busters Caucus Chairs, U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Pat Ryan (NY-18), and Angie Craig (MN-02), released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s attempt to fire Surface Transportation Board (STB) member Robert Primus:

“Attempting to fire Robert Primus from the Surface Transportation Board is the President’s latest giveaway to Wall Street and the big railroads. This comes as the agency is preparing to review the proposed $71.5 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, a deal that would allow a single company to control coast-to-coast rail shipments for the first time in U.S. history.

“This political maneuver is a modern-day echo of the Gilded Age of railroad robber barons. We are witnessing in real-time what happens when monopolists flex their political muscle to seize control of their industry. Mr. Primus was the sole member of the board to vote against the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, demonstrating a principled commitment to competition. By trying to remove Mr. Primus, President Trump has put his thumb on the scales against competition, lowering costs, and our communities’ safety.

“We are deeply concerned that further consolidation of the railroads could lead to higher prices for everything from the grain hauled by farmers to the groceries on our dinner tables. A deal of this magnitude could also exacerbate existing safety risks, already a grave and ongoing problem made stark by the devastating East Palestine derailment. Further concentration of the rail industry could threaten the livelihoods and safety of rail workers, compounding the harms caused by the broken promises from previous mega-rail mergers. 

“We strongly encourage the Surface Transportation Board and merging parties not to proceed with the merger review process until the legal issues around the attempted firing are resolved. The Monopoly Busters Caucus will be actively engaged on this issue to protect competition and the American public.”

Issues: Science, Technology, & Antitrust