Rep. Garamendi Statement After DOT Reinstates Key Worker Safety Committee

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today issued the following statement after the Trump administration reinstatedthe Department of Transportation's (DOT) Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC). In August, DOT gutted over a dozen federal worker safety committees, including RSAC.

"Workers are better off today than they were yesterday, thanks to the efforts of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, led by Greg Regan, and workers demanding the return of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee. Repeatedly, the Trump administration has governed in chaos slashing critical programs, only to backtrack on its devastating decisions months later, and this case is no different," said Rep. Garamendi. "I'm encouraged that DOT reversed its decision; however, the work isn't done. I will continue to fight for comprehensive labor representation on the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and put pressure on the Department to reinstate all the other federal worker safety committees they gutted. These advisory committees are the difference between life or death for thousands of workers, and it's time for this administration to act like it."

In August 2025, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy disbanded over a dozen critical transportation safety committees and terminated key labor and safety representatives, putting thousands of federal transportation workers at risk.

In September 2025, Rep. Garamendi led labor leaders in demanding that Secretary Sean Duffy immediately reinstate the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and other federal transportation advisory committees and restore terminated members, including key labor representatives and safety advocates, to ensure the safety of thousands of federal transportation workers.

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