An American railroad worker slammed the Biden administration for throwing millions of our tax dollars at infrastructure projects in foreign countries while U.S. railways and rail employees suffer from neglect and are left behind.
Alec Lace, a railroad mechanic for 23 years, said Monday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends First” that President Joe Biden stabbed American railway workers in the back when he refused to support their push for paid sick leave.
In December, the president signed a bill to avoid a strike by railway labor unions — and workers aren’t happy about it.
“Joe Biden has made a lot of enemies with the railroad workers,” Lace said.
“This is a guy that campaigned from the basement telling the railroad workers, ‘Hey, I’m one of you guys, I’m Railway Joe, I’m Choo-Choo Charlie, I’m with you guys,'” he said. “And then what happens?
“He stabs us in the back by turning down the package that would have gave the railroad workers seven days of sick pay.”
“Now, Joe Biden takes seven sick days a week,” Lace said.
In addition to angering workers with his stance on the strike, Biden met with members of the Saudi Arabian government to talk about sending U.S. tax dollars to the Middle East to fund a railroad project there, Fox News reported.
The White House released a statement Sunday insisting that the project in cooperation with the Saudis and India would “advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world.”
For his part, Lace was furious that Biden would spend U.S. funds on foreign railways while American railways suffer.
“The railroad system in America is like a technology museum,” he said. “If you want to get into a time machine and see what technology was like 10 years ago, go to any railroad in the United States.”
“Every time we get a new piece of technology or equipment, by the time it goes through all the red tape, all the regulations and actually gets to us on the rail, it’s five years out of date already,” Lace said. “So now we’re going to go and stick railroad ties in the desert over in the Middle East.”
“This is why people embrace America First,” he said, referring to former President Donald Trump’s campaign cry. “Let’s take care of the American railroad first before we go over there and start building, what, a high-speed rail over there? We don’t even have that here in the United States yet.”
Biden recently signed legislation that would give railroad workers a 24 percent raise over a five-year period, but out of 12 transportation unions, four unions that represent 100,000 rail workers rejected the deal because it lacked the paid sick leave measure.
Lace predicted the president would lose the support of tens of thousands of rail workers as he seeks a second term in the White House.
“It’s a slap in our face. … Just by the book, railroaders usually vote blue,” he said. “We’re always told, ‘Vvote blue, vote blue. They’re going to do the best for you.’ That ain’t happening no more. We’ve seen it.”
“We were lied to, and shame on him for doing that. He’s made a lot of enemies,” Lace said.
“The people that are running this show realize they made a big mistake and ticked off a lot of railroaders, and they’re trying to hold it together with some dental floss, but it ain’t going to fly,” he concluded.
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Meanwhile, America seems to be suffering repeated railway derailment disasters that are leaving people sick and putting our supply chain in danger.
Rail workers began falling ill at the East Palestine, Ohio, cleanup site after a massive derailment on Feb. 3 that spilled hazardous chemicals into the area.
Workers are not the only ones impacted by the hazardous materials spill. A large number of local residents reported burning skin and mysterious ailments after the spill.
The derailment in Ohio was far from the only such disaster. It seems to be happening on an ongoing basis.
For instance, a train carrying lithium batteries and paint overturned into the Mississippi River in April. Another that sparked a massive fire spewing hazardous materials into the air happened in Minnesota in March. And earlier that same month, a derailment that sent 21 railroad cars slamming into a building occurred in Kentucky.
According to Yahoo News, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has documented 54,539 train derailments between 1990 to 2021, an average of 1,704 per year. And in March, NPR reported that there are up to three per day statistically.
Biden always tries to present himself as “Lunch Bucket Joe” of Scranton, Pennsylvania, champion of the working man and friend to regular folks, small children and puppies. But his efforts to funnel millions of our tax dollars to foreign rail projects as our own railways deteriorate and suffer to the detriment of every American might tend to work against that perception.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
