Trump’s Dismissal of Independent Rail Regulator Threatens Supply Chain Stability

In a move that raises serious questions about the politicization of regulatory agencies, President Donald Trump fired Robert Primus, a Democratic member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB), just days before the board was set to review Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern—the largest rail merger in history. This sudden action threatens the independence Congress mandated for the STB over a century ago. Primus had served honorably since 2001 and was removed without any official explanation beyond a vague statement that he “did not align with the President’s America First agenda.” Such reasoning ignores Congressional law...