Black men who were fired from key transportation boards accuse Trump of a pattern of discrimination

Two Black officials fired by Trump allege racial discrimination in federal agency dismissals

Two former high-ranking transportation officials have filed discrimination claims against the Trump administration, alleging they were unlawfully terminated because of their race. Robert Primus of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Alvin Brown of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) – both Black men – assert they were part of a pattern of dismissals targeting Black leaders across federal agencies.

The officials, who were the only Black board members at their respective agencies when dismissed this year, had previously filed lawsuits challenging their removals as lacking the “good cause” required by law. Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy organization, submitted the new discrimination claims on behalf of both men.

“When you look at who has been removed without cause, and who has been left in place, the pattern is impossible to ignore: Black commissioners across the federal government have been summarily fired,” said Brown, who served as Vice Chairman of the NTSB until his May dismissal. “My abrupt removal was unlawful, and it was discriminatory.”

The White House has rejected these allegations, maintaining that performance concerns rather than racial bias motivated the dismissals. Administration spokesman Kush Desai defended the actions, stating, “The only factor guiding the Trump administration’s personnel decisions is competence — lawful removals at the NTSB and STB are no different.”

Transportation experts note that Brown’s firing was particularly unusual, as many couldn’t recall any precedent for an NTSB board member’s removal. The NTSB, which investigates transportation accidents across all modes to determine causes and prevent future disasters, is currently handling nearly 1,250 investigations, including January’s collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people.

Primus was removed from the STB in August, shortly after Union Pacific proposed an $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern railroad – a massive merger that the five-member board will evaluate over the next one to two years. Notably, Primus was the sole STB member to oppose Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad in 2023, citing competition concerns. President Trump has previously expressed support for the Union Pacific deal.

By statute, no more than three of the five members on either board can belong to the same political party. Both Primus and Brown are Democrats. Primus was originally nominated by Trump during his first administration and later named board chairman by President Biden before being demoted when Trump began his second term.

The lawsuits highlight what the plaintiffs describe as a troubling pattern: the administration has retained white Democratic members at both agencies while dismissing the Black members. On the NTSB, another Democratic member, who is white, continues serving beyond his term’s December 2023 expiration date – a customary practice until a replacement is confirmed. Brown, however, was dismissed despite being scheduled to serve through 2026. Trump has nominated a white man to replace him.

The discrimination claims argue that these dismissals align with “Trump’s consistent messaging criticizing diversity and inclusion and his clear and demonstrable emphasis on hiring white people.”

This controversy comes amid a broader pattern of Trump firing board members at agencies generally considered independent, including the Federal Reserve, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The administration has asked a judge to dismiss Brown’s lawsuit, arguing that statutory protections against removal without cause are unconstitutional and that presidents should have complete discretion over executive agency appointments.

The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to consider advancing the nominations of replacements for both men next week.