David Fink responds to questions during the Senate Commerce Committee’s confirmation hearing on May 13.
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David Fink, the Trump administration’s nominee as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), testified that he would support the safety agency’s minimum crew size regulation during a Senate confirmation hearing on May 13.
Fink acknowledged his support in response to a direct question from Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). Sen. Markey, a strong supporter of rail safety, secured the same commitment from Sean Duffy during his confirmation hearings in January for the office of Secretary of Transportation. For video of the Markey-Fink exchange, please visit the Senate Commerce Committee website and fast forward to the 02:04:00 mark.
Fink is the former CEO of Pan Am Railway, a 1,200-mile regional railroad based in New England that was acquired by CSX in June 2022. During the May 13 confirmation hearing, Senators questioned Fink about a history of safety issues at Pan Am during his decade-long tenure as CEO, including a worker death in May 2021 and a serious employee injury in January 2022. In both cases, Pan Am said the workers were at fault.
A PDF of Fink’s opening statement is available here.