Photo: STB
The White House has abruptly fired Robert Primus, a member of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) who the administration claimed doesn't align with the president's "America First" agenda, per NBC News.
“Earlier this evening, I received an email from the White House purporting to terminate my position at the Surface Transportation Board,” Primus said in a statement on Wednesday (August 27). “This is deeply troubling and legally invalid.”
Primus, who was confirmed during Trump's first term and later served as chairman during the Biden administration, was set to serve on the board until 2027. The STB was created by Congress as an independent agency to regulate the rail industry and is structured to prevent domination by a single political party.
Primus said he realized he’d been terminated after returning home from a launch event for a new high-speed train. Access to Primus’ government devices was cut on Wednesday evening, according to a source familiar with the matter. A staffer from the Presidential Personnel Office reportedly informed Primus via email that his position had been terminated “effective immediately.”
“I thought I actually sat on [my phone] or did something different to it,” Primus said. “But I realized it had been locked.”
A White House spokesperson confirmed the firing on Thursday (August 28).
"Robert Primus did not align with the President’s America First agenda and was terminated from his position by the White House,” spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement. “The Administration intends to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order.”
Primus rejected the White House's statement, saying, “Anyone who knows me on the board knows that I have been pro-growth, pro-America, since I've been there.”
“The American public and the consumer, shipper, and actually the railroads stand to lose a great deal if that independence is lost.”
Primus' termination came as the STB is reviewing an $85 billion railroad merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. If approved, the merger would create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. The proposal has drawn criticism from labor unions and antitrust concerns.
The board currently has one remaining Democrat and two vacancies. Primus said he will continue performing his duties unless forcibly removed, and he's weighing legal options.
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