Troy E. Nehls: I Am Voting to Avoid a Catastrophic Rail Strike

Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22), a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, took to the House Floor to speak on the legislation to tentatively adopt the agreement that was agreed to by eight out of the twelve railroad unions in September.

“President Biden took two victory laps before the election, said Congressman Nehls. “One was an illegal bribe to college graduates that the courts struck down, and the second was this unsuccessful rail-labor agreement. They both failed. They were both lies to win an election. Now it falls to Congress to clean up his mess and avoid a rail strike which will be catastrophic for our economy. It is estimated that a rail strike will cost the economy roughly $2 billion dollars a day. 

The U.S. rail system moves cargo equivalent to roughly 467,000 long-haul trucks each day. If you think inflation is bad now, imagine what happens when our railroads go offline, and our supply chains will become even more strained and unpredictable.

The cost of moving anything will skyrocket overnight, just in time for Christmas. Our businesses and workers need certainty to operate in the environment.

For this reason, I plan on voting for House Joint Resolution 100. The agreement is supported by our railroads, shippers, and 8 of the 12 unions. I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Every major industry, from automobiles to agriculture, to energy, will be severely impacted if we fail to act. These are some of the largest drivers of inflation and will directly increase the prices for American consumers.

In conclusion, I would just like to point out that this deal is a great deal for the railroad workers. By the end of this deal, the average wages for rail workers would reach $110,000 per year, with total compensation averaging $160,000.

It’s unthinkable that the 4 railroad unions are holding the nation economically hostage.”