Rail Safety

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the Norfolk Southern hearing, the many consequences of Norfolk Southern's derailment in East Palestine continue to reverberate today. That accident and the many that have occurred since have forced Congress to confront an ugly realization: Years of lobbying from rail companies and deregulation under Republican administrations have empowered the rail industry to put profits over people and endanger communities' safety.

Tomorrow, the CEO of Norfolk Southern will return to the Senate and testify before the Commerce Committee. He will be joined by Jennifer Homendy from the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as by two colleagues, Senators Brown and Vance, who have pushed the bipartisan Railway Safety Act.

We have heard Norfolk Southern's CEO say he is sorry for what happened in East Palestine, but we have also heard him say he is open to legislative efforts to enhance safety. I hope Norfolk Southern's CEO follows up his apology with candid answers to some important questions:

One, why did Norfolk Southern, after seeing a record $3.3 billion in profits last year, pursue billions--billions--in stock buybacks instead of putting that money toward safety and toward their workers?

Two, why did the freight rail industry spend so much time and money lobbying for deregulation while also cutting the industry's workforce by, roughly, 20 percent?

And, three, will the chair of the NTSB, who will testify tomorrow, as well, also commit to expanding their investigation into Norfolk Southern to include all class I freight rail companies so we can get to the heart of the problems that lie within the rail industry?

The Senate needs answers. Communities like East Palestine need answers. So many others deserve answers as well. I hope we will hear some tomorrow.

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