Vance Allies’ Rail Proposals Hint at Populist 2028 Playbook

Since last year, the railroad industry has been in a panic. A small group of officials in the Trump administration was trying to revive a slate of safety proposals, first raised after the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, that railroads say would dramatically drive up their operating costs.

The industry already had beaten back the mandates once, when they were part of a bill co-sponsored by then-Senator JD Vance, who represented the state where the disaster occurred.

Vice President JD Vance

Photographer: C.S. Muncy/Bloomberg

But now, with Vance and alumni of his Senate office in an even loftier perch, the mandates — which also ...