Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Railway Strike Negotiations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding legislation taken up by the Senate in anticipation of a possible railway strike: 

“Our economy is now on the edge of what would be a fiscal catastrophe all because of the Biden administration’s ineptitude. After doing next to nothing to avoid a rail strike, President Biden assured the American people that this matter was settled. That was a brazen lie. Now, this administration expects Congress to step into the dispute and pick winners and losers.

“As a matter of principle, I do not support government intervention to decide terms of employment. We should extend the cooling-off period, as Congress has done before, and send both parties back to the table. For that reason, I was proud to cosponsor Senator Sullivan’s amendment to extend the cooling-off period and allow the negotiations to continue in order to reach a resolution that addresses the needs of both sides. However, given that Congress voted down our amendment and decided to step into these negotiations, I believe the rail workers are making reasonable requests that should be adequately addressed. For that reason, I voted to increase the number of paid sick days for rail workers. Unfortunately, the Senate rejected this measure, so I opposed the final deal.”

###