The White House says it has fired Robert Primus, a Democratic appointee on a federal board that oversees freight railroad mergers, because he isn’t on board with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda — but Primus is vowing not to leave.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai confirmed Primus’ ouster from the normally sleepy Surface Transportation Board and told POLITICO in a statement that Trump plans to “to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order.”
Primus did not respond to a request for comment. But in a LinkedIn post Wednesday evening, he called his firing “deeply troubling and legally invalid.”
“I plan to continue to discharge my duties as a member of the Board and, if I’m prevented from doing so, I will explore my legal options,” Primus wrote. He also defended his record on the board, where he’s served since Trump appointed him in 2020.
It’s the latest example of personnel unrest and tension throughout the Trump administration, which is managing blowback from the recent firings of Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lisa Cook and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, who also refused to leave her post.
The Primus shakeup comes as the board prepares to consider whether to approve an $85 billion merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, which if successful would decrease the number of the largest U.S. freight railroads to just five.
Without Primus, the five-member board, whose appointees require Senate confirmation, would be composed of one Democrat and two Republicans. By statute, the board can’t have more than three members from the same party.
Primus was originally nominated in 2020 during Trump’s first term. Notably, he opposed the $28 billion merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern in 2023. Prior to joining the STB, Primus had worked on Capitol Hill for decades, including a stint as chief of staff for former Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) from 2002 to the end of 2018.
Unions that represent railroad workers came out swinging on Thursday against Primus’ termination.
SMART-TD, which has publicly opposed Union Pacific’s merger with Norfolk Southern, said in a statement that Primus’ firing was “unprecedented and unjustified” and suggested outside interference from industry.
“To eliminate a Senate-confirmed position simply because corporate America disagrees with a regulator’s conclusions position is an assault on the independence of federal oversight itself,” the union said.
Jessica Kahanek, a spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads, of which both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are a member, said its members “respect the critical role the STB plays, and value our strong working relationship with its members and staff. That has been true for more than 30 years and will remain so regardless of the Board’s composition.”