Washington – The White House said Thursday that he has fired a member of the Surface Transport Board, a measure that occurs when the independent federal regulatory agency is considering the proposed fusion of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroad Companies.
“At the beginning of tonight, I received an email from the White House that sought to finish my position at the Surface Transport Board,” Robert Primus wrote in a publication to LinkedIn on Wednesday. “This is deeply worrying and legally invalid.”
The Primus termination, which was informed by the Wall Street Journal, occurs when the White House has moved more and more to exercise control over the agencies of the entire federal government, including those considered independent.
Primus said in his publication that he planned “to continue downloading my duties as a member of the Board and, if it is prevented from doing so, I will explore my legal options.”
The presidential personnel office, which has now been executed for a long time, Trump Dan Scavino assistant did not offer a reason for the dismissal of Primus, according to a copy of the email seen by MSNBC. The staff member, Mary Spawls, said her position as a member was dismissed “immediately. Access to Government Primus devices closed on Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the subject.
He contacted to comment, a White House spokesman did not provide a specific reason for the dismissal of Primus.
“Robert Primus did not align with the first agenda of President America, and was fired from his position for the White House,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai, in a statement. “The administration intends to nominate new more qualified members at the Surface Transport Board in a short time.”
MSNBC has contacted the Surface Transport Board to comment.
The Surface Transport Board began the regulatory review process for the railway fusion proposed in July, after Union Pacific announced that Norfolk Southern would acquire at a price of $ 85 billion.
The agreement, which would create the first transcontinental railway of the nation, is still under review by the Board. The proposal has faced the rejection of the unions and caused controversy on their potential impact on competition in the rail industry.
The Primus term ended in 2027, according to the Board website. He was first confirmed to the Board in the last months of President Donald Trump’s first term, and became the president during the Biden administration. The Trump administration appointed a new member as president at the beginning of his second term.
Before joining the Surface Transport Board, Primus worked with several Democratic members of Congress.
The Trump administration has moved more and more to exercise more control over the agencies, working to expel the officials that the White House considers insufficient to carry out the president’s agenda. Earlier this week, Trump announced that he would move to say goodbye to the governor of the Lisa Cook Federal Reserve, although Cook’s lawyers said she would sue.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration dismissed the centers for disease control and prevention, Susan Monarez, which led several other senior health officials to leave the agency in protest.
In January, Trump fired two democratic commissioners to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. In March, he fired two democratic commissioners to the Federal Commerce Commission. In May, Trump fired the Library of the Congress, moving days later to fire the head of the United States copyright.
