In Hoboken, Booker, Menendez, Pascrell take aim at Trump over rail safety

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U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), as well as U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9), took aim at President Donald Trump (R) for rolling back rail safety regulations that would require sleep apnea testing for train conductors and truck drivers. 

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“Our concern is when we see the president bragging about, during the State of the Union speech, about scrapping rules and regulations? Well, he’s bragging about rolling back railway safety,” Menendez said at a press conference at Hoboken Terminal this afternoon.

“He’s talking about cutting sleep apnea screening, and it’s not just happening to our transit agencies, it’s happening at our agencies chartered with protecting our private financial system and even our infrastructure: there’s a reason we put these rules in place in the first place.”

The presser came just days after the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that undiagnosed sleep apnea led to devastating train accidents in Hoboken in 2016 and then in Brooklyn last year.

Over 100 people were injured and one woman died after an NJ Transit train crashed into the Hoboken Terminal, just a few feet behind where the elected officials spoke at the podium today, back on September 29th, 2016.

In August, Trump administration withdrew funding for mandator sleep apnea testing for train conductors and truck drivers.

On Friday, the Democratic federal legislators on hand announced that they, along with U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8) had sent a letter to Trump urging him to reconsider.

Menendez also called the decision “a matter of life and death” and Booker echoed that sentiment.

“The leadership in Washington is not only rolling back the things that keep us safe, but the evidence is clear that we’re seeing a pattern of pain, of destruction, of injuries and death, as a result of us not doing what we should be doing: to hold folks accountable and keep us safe,” Booker stated.

“Senator Menendez spoke about the 110 people that were injured on a train, right over to my right. The senator and I toured this while the blood was still on the ground … of a beautiful young woman who was killed in an accident here – and now we know, from the [NTSB] report that was just released.”

Pascrell expressed additional frustration with the current predicament.

“Congress mandated that all commuter railroads, and some freight railroads, are required to have risk management plans and submit a fatigue management plan to the Federal Railroad Administration every two years,” explained Pascrell.

“The Obama administration finalized rules to implement aspects of the risk management planned requirement. Your administration, Mr. President, has suspended these rules.”

Other dignitaries in attendance included Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher (the chair of the local Democratic committee), Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour and Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-5).


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22 COMMENTS

  1. Even our great former mayor Dawn wouldn’t have been able to go to Washington and come back with not one, but BOTH state Senators to bring attention to this very important issue. Great job Ravi! Hoboken loves you!

  2. Ravi will be outta here in 2 years , his blank stares and eyes that dart everywhere but the person he’s addressing shows he has no interest in Hoboken. It’s just a attempt to replace Albio Sires

    • We wish Ravi well and bro reaches his objectives to move up. Hear there’s going to be lots of openings coming up soon in the Democratic Party.

      So many snared in the boomerang and karma of the Russia Collusion Hoax will be indicted for actual treason and sedition teaming up with Russia. What a great 2018 it’s going to be for the US and the Constitution: the traitors and seditionists, not so much.

      So bon voyage and good luck to Ravi with his climb. He may need to move though. Albio ain’t going anywhere and and likely not one of the perps snared to face a military tribunal for treason. Brian Stack isn’t a Ravi fan, not in the slightest.

      Him and his white privilege are racist against Bro, yo. Go Bro!

      • You would think helping drag a candidate to a 4th place finish would have silenced your more insane impulses but here you are shouting nonsense.

        You should check out whatever alt-right websites and reddit threads are out there since you clearly seek out people to validate your crazy thoughts. Please head that way or up the dosage on the meds.

        • The Shadow needs to go back to the borscht belt already- his comedy at needs fine tuning! Maybe he can practice in one of the abandoned hotel lounges, the decrepit conditions will feel like his wife’s Washington street …
          Try the fish!

        • In da house yo, it’s Sybil: Hoboken’s paid political propagandist operative at Ravi’s service.

          When you publishing the next Russia “Dossier” Sybil at your toxic sewerage site? Everyone wants to know because you really convinced the sane how true that was the first time. How’s that working out with reality? Start adjusting your meds now. Then you can lie better later.

          2018 is going to be great! Too bad that Russia collusion propaganda got replaced with a touch of karma and Guantanamo to come.

          Enjoy the taste!

          • Sybil, your lies and fabrications are everywhere but this is not in a safe space.

            Produce this so-called prediction. Can you do it or will you have to make it up and add another one of your fabricated smear jobs, your specialty?

            Lane and Perry have nothing on you! You’re the top of the heap or the bottom of the NHSA sewer system.

          • Oh look Sybil’s back. Go back to the Cave or we’ll write more truth you will hate and go back to lie about more.

            Notice she isn’t defending the Ravi-Russo deal. She dare not speak about that deal.

            Notice how nervous they are about the HPD investigation into the Ravi terror flyer that got him elected?

            They want it stopped. So do the construction unions backing Ravi who have big, BIG plans for Hoboken.

            Did I say big? Yeah, big. Dozens of NJ Transit stories high, so high to the sky with big shadows over downtown.

      • I need readers- live ones!

        I need comments!

        Please please click on my ghostly link!

        Please come to my blog mortuary before it withers up and blows away!

        What you will find on my dead blog will surely amaze you! The way I scramble my syntax, overstuff each endless run-on sentence with so many verbs, adverbs, adjectives you’ll realize my train of thought is a Crazy Train! No, not the Ozzy song! Im really nuts! Would you like croutons with my word salad? Most of all sources in my ghost head and Tiffanie tell me things! Im such a lazy ghost-bast*rd too.. dont research, “borrow” other people’s but dont credit them… why should I? Im the greatest thing since sliced carrot juice. Stop it Tiffanie! Get out of my head!

        • Yo Syb, that’s not exactly a denial of the Ravi-Russo deal.

          Looks like Horse broke another big story!
          What are you going to do other than whine about it. Maybe you can text Amar and tell him what to have Bro do?

          Oh yeah, they don’t listen to you. Sorry about that. Bro puked all over you Sybil. Then he urinated on Shadowstan.

          That must be a violation of the UN charter or something.

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