The 116th Congress appears to have learned none of the lessons of its predecessors. In 2017, the Department of Transportation (DOT), under Barack Obama, issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require all freight rail operations have at least two members aboard. This rule was never implemented.

In March 2016, the Obama-era Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that required there be at least two crewmembers aboard for all railroad operations. Like many Liberal ideas, this was a throwback to the days of steam engines and cabooses when some states required as many as 5 people on each train crew, no matter what was actually required for safety or business purposes. Thankfully, this unnecessary rule was never implemented, and American businesses would be safe from burdensome rules like this for at least the next four years under a new administration. Or so we thought...