This story was updated on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, at 6:40 p.m.
The Democratic member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that President Donald Trump fired ahead of the group considering the largest rail merger ever filed a lawsuit challenging his dismissal as illegal.
Robert Primus, who had served on the board since 2001, said the White House never even gave him a reason for his Aug. 27 firing that threatens the independence of the five-member STB. His termination happened before the board got a chance to start reviewing Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern to create the first true transcontinental railroad.
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