{"id":2343514,"date":"2024-09-19T16:15:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-taps-brakes-on-rail-safety-bill-ahead-of-sherrod-brown-election-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T16:18:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:18:38","slug":"senate-taps-brakes-on-rail-safety-bill-ahead-of-sherrod-brown-election-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-taps-brakes-on-rail-safety-bill-ahead-of-sherrod-brown-election-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate taps brakes on rail safety bill ahead of Sherrod Brown election &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenate-taps-brakes-on-rail-safety-bill-ahead-of-sherrod-brown-election-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343514&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2064article discusses the stalled rail\u2063 safety bill championed by Senator \u2063Sherrod Brown (D-OH), \u200cwhich was initially designed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-mayorkas-oks-closure-of-some-gaps-in-the-border-wall\/\" title=\"DHS Mayorkas OKs Closure of Some Gaps in the Border Wall\">address safety concerns<\/a>\u2062 following the chemical \u200dspill from a train \u2063derailment \u2064in East Palestine,\u200b Ohio. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-manchin-follow-sinema-and-take-control-of-the-senate\/\" title=\"Will Manchin Follow Sinema and Take Control of the Senate?\">election date approaches<\/a> on November 5, it appears unlikely\u200d that the Senate will pass this \u200clegislation, denying Brown\u200c a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/do-nothing-house-member-rubio-responds-to-val-demings-senate-bid\/\" title=\"\u2018Do-Nothing House Member\u2019: Rubio Responds To Val Demings\u2019 Senate Bid\">significant legislative achievement<\/a> before facing voters. <\/p>\n<p>Despite previous support from all\u2063 Democrats and some Republicans, the bill\u2063 has seen little movement\u200c since its passage out of the Senate Commerce Committee last May.\u2063 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated the bill is a priority, but with senators scheduled\u2064 to be \u2064away\u2064 in October\u2064 and government funding taking precedence,\u2063 the legislative window is \u200bclosing. \u200d <\/p>\n<p>The political landscape has shifted, with Republican opposition growing as they\u2063 strategize for upcoming elections, \u200cfurther\u200d complicating\u200d Brown\u2019s efforts\u200b to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-says-he-supports-800-billion-package-focusing-on-traditional-infrastructure\/\" title=\"McConnell Says He Supports 0 Billion Package Focusing On \u2018Traditional\u2019 Infrastructure\">secure bipartisan support<\/a>.\u2064 Recent polling\u2063 shows Brown with only a narrow lead over his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, intensifying the scrutiny on any potential bipartisan achievements that could\u2063 be leveraged in his\u2063 reelection campaign. While\u200b some view the bill&#8217;s progress as politically influenced, Brown maintains that he&#8217;s focusing on his legislative\u200b responsibilities without speculating\u2062 on electoral dynamics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Senate taps brakes on rail safety bill ahead of Sherrod Brown election<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1763869\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Senators are all but certain to leave town next week without passing Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sherrod-brown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Sherrod Brown<\/a>&lsquo;s (D-OH) signature rail safety bill, denying him a legislative victory before he faces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ohio<\/a> voters on Nov. 5.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>For a brief moment, it seemed as if the bill, crafted in the wake of the East Palestine trail derailment last year, had real momentum. All Democrats supported the legislation, while Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">J.D. Vance<\/a>, Brown&rsquo;s GOP colleague from Ohio, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2570095\/vance-cobbles-together-gop-coalition-for-rail-safety-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>managed to attract<\/a> seven Republican votes.<\/p>\n<p>By all appearances, that left Democrats two votes away from overcoming a filibuster when it passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee last May. It also left Brown, one of the most endangered Democrats running for reelection this year, two votes away from a bipartisan vote he could tout in Ohio, where East Palestine residents are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-residents-health-issues-norfolk-southern\/#:~:text=One%20year%20after%20a%20freight,derailment%2C%22%20said%20Linda%20Murphy.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>still dealing with<\/a> the environmental consequences of the railway chemical spill.<\/p>\n<p>There has been virtually no movement on the bill since then, according to its GOP co-sponsors, while at least one Republican sitting on the fence, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> he has not received any new outreach.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve not heard much about it since the committee vote, honestly,&rdquo; said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), one of the Republican supporters of the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3143108\/government-shutdown-schumer-agenda-senate-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>labeled the legislation<\/a> a priority before the end of the year in a letter to his Democratic colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>But Schumer&rsquo;s window to schedule a vote before Nov. 5 is closing. Senators will be gone the entire month of October, while next week will be spent passing a short-term extension in government funding.<\/p>\n<p>That could mean the bill won&rsquo;t get attention until the lame duck session, the time between the election and the start of the new Congress.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to be hard to do before the election,&rdquo; said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL). &ldquo;I encourage taking it up, but I think it&rsquo;s going to be difficult.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A lot has changed since Brown first introduced the legislation 18 months ago. Vance, now the Republican nominee for vice president, is rarely at the Capitol, and much of Washington, D.C., has shifted its attention to the November election.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, Ohio, a state former President Donald Trump won by 8 points in 2020, is a top pickup opportunity for Senate Republicans, who may be loath to give Brown a bipartisan win. <\/p>\n<p>Brown only leads his Republican opponent, entrepreneur Bernie Moreno, by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2024\/ohio\/brown-vs-moreno\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2 points<\/a> in the latest Senate polling.<\/p>\n<p>One Republican strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, downplayed the electoral importance of the bill.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Presidential politics is dominating everything,&rdquo; the strategist said of the Senate race, predicting that Trump&rsquo;s outspokenness on the derailment &mdash; he visited East Palestine last year &mdash; helps Moreno.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think voters up there think this is a Brown issue,&rdquo; the strategist added. &ldquo;Trump has been there. He is aligned with Bernie.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Still, others were willing to acknowledge a vote on rail safety had electoral considerations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wouldn&rsquo;t you think that might have something to do with it?&rdquo; Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), a co-sponsor of the bill, said of the legislation languishing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Brown, for his part, declined to speculate on whether election season could be having a chilling effect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I try not to think in those terms,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a brief interview.<\/p>\n<p>In September, Vance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2445323\/vance-says-rail-safety-bill-privately-has-votes-needed-to-pass-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> he &ldquo;privately&rdquo; had the GOP votes needed to pass the bill. He managed to grow GOP co-sponsors from three to seven with a series of changes to the legislative text.<\/p>\n<p>But Vance has apparently kept Brown in the dark as to how the Senate gets to a filibuster-proof 60.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I mean, J.D. just doesn&rsquo;t give us the names, so we&rsquo;re still trying,&rdquo; Brown said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Dec. 6, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All 51 senators who caucus with the Democrats are on board with the legislation, according to a source familiar with the whip count. But Schumer is running into resistance from Republicans who fear the bill, which raises rail safety standards and hikes the fines for infractions, would harm the transport of U.S. energy and raise costs for consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Both Vance and Brown acknowledge getting the bill through the Republican-led House poses an even greater challenge.<\/p>\n<p>When asked if there were nine GOP votes for Schumer to bring the bill to the Senate floor, Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-crisscrosses-country-to-pad-senate-gop-war-chests\/\" title=\"Thune travels nationwide to boost Senate GOP funds\">chief vote-counter<\/a> for Senate Republicans, said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;re there at the moment,&rdquo; Thune added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), one of Vance&rsquo;s populist allies in the Senate, was more blunt.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going nowhere,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t publicly have 60, you don&rsquo;t have 60.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1763869\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1763869\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Delays Rail Safety Bill Before Sherrod Brown&#8217;s Election<\/p>\n<p>It appears that the Senate will likely adjourn next week without passing Senator Sherrod Brown&#8217;s (D-OH) key rail safety legislation, which would prevent him from achieving a legislative win ahead of the Ohio elections on November 5. Initially, the bill, developed in response to last year&#8217;s East Palestine train derailment, appeared to be gaining traction. All Democrats supported it, and Senator J.D. Vance, Brown\u2019s Republican counterpart from Ohio, secured seven Republican votes. This left Democrats just two votes shy of overcoming a filibuster after it passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee last May. For Brown\u2014one of the most vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection this year\u2014this meant he was also two votes away from a bipartisan endorsement he could promote in Ohio, where residents are still grappling with the aftermath of the chemical spill.<\/p>\n<p>However, there has been little progress on the bill since then according to its GOP co-sponsors; at least one undecided Republican senator, Ted Cruz (R-TX), mentioned he hasn&#8217;t received any recent communication regarding it. &#8220;We haven&#8217;t heard much about it since the committee vote,&#8221; stated Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), one of its Republican supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) identified this legislation as a priority for completion by year-end in correspondence with his Democratic colleagues. However, time is running out for scheduling a vote before November 5; senators will be absent throughout October and next week will focus on passing temporary government funding measures. Consequently, attention may not return to this bill until after elections during what is known as the lame duck session\u2014the period between election day and when new Congress members take office.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s going to be hard to do before the election,&#8221; remarked Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL). &#8220;I encourage taking it up but I think it&#8217;s going to be difficult.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Since Brown first introduced this legislation 18 months ago much has changed: Vance is now running for vice president and spends less time at Capitol Hill while Washington&#8217;s focus shifts toward upcoming elections. Additionally, Ohio\u2014a state that former President Donald Trump won by eight points in 2020\u2014is seen as an important target for Senate Republicans who may hesitate to grant Brown a bipartisan success story.<\/p>\n<p>Current polling shows that Brown leads his Republican challenger Bernie Moreno by only two points. A GOP strategist commented anonymously that presidential politics overshadow everything else in this race and suggested Trump&#8217;s previous visit to East Palestine aligns him more closely with Moreno than with Brown: &#8220;I don\u2019t think voters up there see this as a Brown issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite differing opinions on electoral implications surrounding rail safety voting among senators like Mike Braun (R-IN), who acknowledged potential political motivations behind delays in advancing legislation; Sen.Brown himself refrained from speculating about how election season might affect progress: \u201cI try not to think in those terms,\u201d he told reporters briefly.<\/p>\n<p>In September,Vance claimed privately having enough GOP support needed for passage through changes made within legislative text increasing co-sponsorships from three up-to-seven but hasn\u2019t disclosed specifics regarding how they can reach filibuster-proof numbers.\u201cJ.D just doesn\u2019t give us names so we\u2019re still trying,\u201d said Sen.Brown.<\/p>\n<p>According sources familiar with whip counts all fifty-one Democratic caucus members back proposed measures however Schumer faces pushback among Republicans concerned raised standards could negatively impact U.S energy transport raising consumer costs too .Both Senators acknowledge challenges lie ahead getting through House led by Republicans .When asked if nine additional GOP votes exist Minority Whip John Thune(R-SD) replied \u201cWe\u2019ll see\u201d adding \u201cI don\u2019t believe they\u2019re there right now.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Senator Josh Hawley(R-MO) bluntly stated \u201cIt\u2019s going nowhere\u201d emphasizing without public support reaching sixty isn\u2019t feasible either<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2343515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sherrod-brown-rail-safety-1024x592.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3728,32535,3740,32227],"class_list":["post-2343514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-election","tag-rail-safety","tag-senate","tag-sherrod-brown"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/sherrod-brown-rail-safety-1024x592.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}