Trump fires board member of regulator evaluating rail merger - WSJ

[Norfolk Southern locomotive cargo freight train with cars passing on railroad tracks in Georgia downtown midtown city in summer]
ablokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

President Donald Trump fired a member of the Surface Transportation Board, the regulator in charge of weighing Union Pacific's (NYSE:UNP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UNP]) planned $75 billion acquisition of railroad rival Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NSC]).

Robert Primus, a Democrat who was the only member of the regulator to oppose the merger of Canadian Pacific (CP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CP]) and Kansas City Southern in 2023, was told via email that he was fired on Wednesday, according to a WSJ report [https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-fires-board-member-of-regulator-weighing-rail-merger-4b108713?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAhgi6kX3F8Ki0ips8tkzNTJPwJbS5LdGSL4gGQfv0qq0yic9S8bKa1l0047b9k%3D&gaa_ts=68b056e2&gaa_sig=L2mQpgZdj4JFPDR-PBkL7Fdnoug81I3oQXbgalaoJ5DkO3-vEjv8XVeHWMiOwxt6q4KaldMjSu-LXeMlQ2Nfkw%3D%3D]on Thursday.

"This is deeply troubling and legally invalid," Primus wrote in an email to The Wall Street Journal.

Primus told the paper he would continue his job as a board member and that if he couldn't, he would pursue legal options.

Primus was appointed chairman of the board by former President Joe Biden last year. Trump named Republican board member Patrick Fuchs to take over the chairman role in January.

MORE ON NORFOLK SOUTHERN, UNION PACIFIC

* Norfolk Southern: Less Compelling Than Treasuries [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4812222-norfolk-southern-less-compelling-than-treasuries]
* Union Pacific: Norfolk Purchase Brings Long-Term Benefits, Near-Term Uncertainty [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4806050-union-pacific-norfolk-purchase-long-term-benefits-near-term-uncertainty]
* Union Pacific's Transcontinental Railroad And BNSF [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4806014-union-pacific-transcontinental-railroad-and-bnsf]
* U.S. railroads go off the rails in race to compete with Canadian rivals [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4489171-us-railroads-go-off-the-rails-in-race-to-compete-with-canadian-rivals]
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