Surface Transportation Board that President Donald Trump fired ahead of the group considering the largest rail merger ever filed a lawsuit challenging his dismissal as illegal. Congress made clear when creating the Surface Transportation Board that the agency should be independent and above politics,” Perryman said. Every rail worker union, the nonprofit Rail Passengers Association and Democratic members of Congress quickly condemned the firing when it happened. He was named board chairman last year by former President Joe Biden and led the board until Trump, after his election, elevated Republican Board member Patrick Fuchs to chairman. —This story has been corrected to show the date of Primus’ firing as Aug. 27, not Aug. 28.