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December 2, 2022
Dear John,
Keeping our Trains on Track
Fifty-four tons. That’s how much each American requires of goods shipped by freight each year.
This week as we approached the end of yet another extension to avert a strike by rail workers, the threat of canceled shipments was staring our nation in the face.
Let me be clear, no one benefits from a rail strike. It’s not just Christmas presents on those cars, it’s ethanol and fertilizer – this stuff can’t sit around while parties argue over contract terms. These products are hazardous and regulated to ensure safe transportation. Shipments like these were going to be canceled as early as December 5, disrupting supply chains from east to west. Not only that, but our freight system carries products that generate electricity and clean our water. Without food, without clean water, and without necessary goods to produce energy, our economy faced huge risk.
While shutting down our freight system is never an optimal scenario, this was possibly the least opportune time for a rail strike. Mississippi River water levels are historically low, causing barges to be canceled or rerouted. We have a shortage of truck drivers and diesel fuel, not to mention high energy costs across the board. Twenty-eight percent of our freight is moved by rail. We don’t have sufficient alternative infrastructure systems to carry the weight of a stalled rail system.
Fully shutting down this part of our supply chain would cost our economy up to $2 billion per day, raise inflation, disrupt 7 million travelers per day, and create waves of disruption across almost every aspect of life.
It’s embarrassing we reached the point where Congress had to intervene – the unions and rails have had years to come to an agreement. I voted in favor of a bill to resolve this dispute, keeping the trains on the tracks because ultimately, this isn’t just a contract issue, it’s an issue of national security.
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