(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) J.D. Vance slammed Republicans who are more concerned with the special interests related to the railroads than regulating railroads to prevent more catastrophic accidents.
The recent derailment of a train has caused massive environmental and wellness concerns for residents of East Palestine, Ohio. Vance and five other Senators have sponsored a bill to prevent future environmental hazards from such derailments, according to Breitbart News.
When a railroad lobbyist attempted to kill Vance’s bill, he slammed the Republicans listening to the special interest, according to Breitbart.
“I worry that there has been a movement in my party and in my movement in response to the legislation that I’ve proposed that would not hold Norfolk Southern or the rail industry accountable,” he said. Vance said he was addressing, “a particular slice of people who seem to think that any public safety enhancements for the rail industry is somehow a violation of the free market … if you look at this industry and what’s happened in the last 30 years, that argument is a farce.”
Vance pointed out that the railroad industry is anything but a free-market operation.
“This is an industry that enjoys special subsidies that almost no industry enjoys,” he said.
“This an industry that enjoys special legal carveouts that almost no industry enjoys. This is an industry that just three months ago had the federal government come in and save them from a labor dispute, it was effectively a bailout, and now they’re claiming before the Senate and the House that our reasonable regulation, our reasonable legislation is somehow a violation of the free market?”
Vance highlighted the obvious hypocrisy of the situation, and then explained why the Republican party needs to reject these arguments.
“There’s been a big political realignment in this country over the last 30 years … we are the party of firefighters, of police officers, of the people who go to work, pay their taxes, fight our country’s wars, and keep our communities safe,” he said. “We are proud of that and we should be proud of that in the Republican Party.”
“But now we are faced with a choice, with this legislation and how we respond to this crisis, do we do the bidding of a massive industry that is in bed with big government, or do we do the bidding of the people who elected us to the Senate and to the Congress in the first place?”
Vance stated the question even more clearly.
“Are we for big business and big government or are we for the people of East Palestine?”
