Fox News’ Martha MacCallum slammed President Joe Biden on Monday for taking a premature “victory lap” on the looming railroad strike.
“In the face of an impending railroad workers’ strike — this is an issue that President Biden took a victory lap on for solving it right before the election, and now it is apparently very not solved,” MacCallum said during the broadcast.
Biden struck a tentative deal with two major railway unions in September, a move which allowed his administration to avoid supply chain disruptions and economic consequences before the midterm elections. All 12 unions involved in the negotiations must agree to the new deal in order to avoid a strike. While eight unions have voted for the deal, four have voted against it,
according to Fox News, raising concerns of potential supply-chain disruptions just before the holidays.
More than 400 business groups led by the United States Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter to Congressional leaders expressing the urgent need to prevent a rail strike. “No one wins when the railroads stop running,” the groups wrote,
according to CNN.
“Congress must be prepared to intervene before the end of the current ‘status quo’ period on December 9 to ensure continued rail service should a deal fail to be reached. The uncertainty of rail service during this year’s protracted contract negotiation has created enormous anxiety,” the letter continued, according to the outlet.
With less than two weeks before the deadline, the business groups sent the letter with “grave urgency,” pressing lawmakers to intervene. Democrats on Capitol Hill say they awaiting instruction from the White House, though Democratic Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer indicated the impending strike was a priority, writing in a letter to members that leadership is “aware of the ongoing freight rail negotiations and ought to continue to monitor their progress in the days ahead,” The Washington Post
reported.
A railway strike could not only cause shortages, causing an increase in already high prices and halting factory production of goods, it could also disturb rail services for up to seven million commuters a day, according to CNN.