On Thursday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “The Exchange,” Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies stated that the closure of two rail crossings along the southern border due to the surge of migrants is costing hundreds of millions of economic impact daily and they haven’t been given a timeline for when the crossings will reopen.
Jefferies said, “Well, right now, we continue to see the two bridges out of operation, and we understand that the federal officials are dealing with an unprecedented surge in migrant activity and the associated humanitarian crisis that comes along with that. However, at the same time, we must strike the right balance that allows for freight to move north and south across the border safely and securely. As you mentioned, Union Pacific alone is seeing a $200 million hit daily of economic activity, and that spreads across our customer base. That’s farmers, that American businesses, that’s American workers who are all being impacted by this. And it’s time to stop holding American farmers and businesses hostage and allow them to move their goods across the border, goods that so many people rely upon.”
Later, host Kelly Evans asked, “And when is the timeline or the opportunity to reopen those lines being given? What are they telling you you’re waiting on at this point? How long might it be?”
Jefferies responded, “Well, we have not been given any guidance on that. And that’s a key part of the challenge right now is the inability to plan. Our view is that these bridges need to be reopened today. They should have been reopened yesterday for all the reasons that we mentioned. And so, we are imploring and continue to implore, along with so many other industries and affected individuals and stakeholders, to reopen these bridges today.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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