WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), released the following statement regarding Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) ongoing, months-long obstruction of President Trump’s nominee for the top railroad safety position at the U.S. Department of Transportation:
“President Trump nominated Ronald Batory to lead the Federal Railroad Administration in July, and he passed committee unanimously in August,” said Dr. Cassidy, who was a passenger on the Amtrak train that crashed in Virginia last week. “More than six months later, Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer is still blocking him from being confirmed, sacrificing the safety of our rail system. Enough is enough—we clearly need our country’s chief railroad safety officer on the job.”
In the months since Schumer has held up the confirmation of the federal railroad administrator, Amtrak has experienced several deadly incidents, including a collision in South Carolina on February 4 and a derailment in Washington state on December 18.
Today, a high-speed Amtrak train carrying passengers from Washington, D.C., to New York City broke apart while passing through Maryland.
###