Trump fires Surface Transportation Board member Primus

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department.

President Donald Trump yesterday fired Robert Primus, a member of the Surface Transportation Board, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported today. 

Primus, a Democrat, confirmed the news last night in a post on the social media site LinkedIn.

"Earlier this evening, I received an email from the White House purporting to terminate my position at the Surface Transportation Board. This is deeply troubling and legally invalid," Primus posted. Primus said he would fight the termination.

"I plan to continue to discharge my duties as a member of the board, if I’m prevented from doing so, I will explore my legal options," the post states.

The president's action comes as the STB is gearing up to consider the proposed megamerger of Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway. Primus, nominated to the board by President Trump in 2020, was the only board member to oppose the most recent merger between two Class Is — Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern — the WSJ reported.

The White House said today that “Robert Primus did not align with the president’s America First agenda," according to the newspaper. The White House also said "the administration intends to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order," the WSJ article stated.

Primus noted on LinkedIn that he was nominated by Trump, a Republican, and unanimously confirmed by a Republican-led Senate, then was renominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and unanimously confirmed by a Democratic-led Senate.

"I have worked tirelessly to build bipartisan trust and have demonstrated myself to be truly an independent Board member that has consistently rendered fair and impartial decisions," Primus's post states. "My record during my four and a half years at the board reflects this and I strongly believe the actions of the White House would weaken the board and adversely affect the freight rail network in a way that may ultimately hurt consumers and the economy."

Primus was sworn in as an STB member in January 2021 and served a term as vice chairman from February 2021 to February 2022. Biden nominated him to serve as STB chairman after the retirement of Chairman Martin Oberman in 2024. Earlier this year, Trump nominated STB member Patrick Fuchs, a Republican, to serve as the STB's chair.

AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), a coalition of unions that represent freight and passenger railroad workers, called on Trump to reverse his decision to remove Primus from the board.

"Mr. Primus has been thoroughly focused on strengthening freight rail service, workforce levels and public safety, and examining growth opportunities in the freight rail industry," said Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, TTD president and secretary-treasurer, respectively, in a prepared statement.

They added: "Mr. Primus has demonstrated an expert understanding of the lasting impact that America’s freight rail network has on the national economy, and the board’s oversight role in building long-term stability into the current system."