Public Policy Commentary

Public Policy Commentary

Policy experts, think tanks and editorial voices frame the merger as a step toward modernizing America’s freight network. Their commentary underscores the merger’s potential to improve efficiency, strengthen supply chains and enhance U.S. competitiveness.

Danielle Zanzalari

Assistant Professor of Economics at Seton Hall University

“The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern transcontinental railroad is not just about laying down track; it is about building a faster, stronger, resilient American supply chain and fulfilling a vision more than 160 years in the making.”

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Cajun Conservatism

“This merger doesn’t just connect the coasts—it connects American producers to American consumers. It ties together Louisiana’s industrial might with the manufacturing resurgence underway across the country. And it sends a clear message: America is serious about building, shipping, and buying American again.”

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Louisiana Policy Review

“Instead of relying on foreign competitors or overburdened highways, America will now have a seamless coast-to-coast rail system capable of moving steel, timber, petrochemicals, and grain with greater speed and lower cost. This is how you rebuild an industrial economy—by connecting producers directly to customers across the country, without bottlenecks or foreign interference.”

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Richard A. Stern

Director of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation

"Get the government out of the way and let American businesses work together to strengthen the USA!"

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George Landrith

President of Frontiers of Freedom Institute

"These delays across the country are not minor technical issues. They are economic drag. Freight sits idle while transferring between carriers. Aging infrastructure and poor coordination can make it worse. Costs rise for manufacturers, retailers, and, ultimately, American families. The solution is straightforward. Streamline the system. That could mean strategic mergers, like has been proposed by UP and NS in their merger that will create the first transcontinental railroad in our country, targeted infrastructure upgrades, or both. The goal is simple: move goods faster, more reliably, and more affordably. This is not a partisan issue. It is an economic necessity. Every day America waits is a day lost in competitiveness and efficiency. It is time to update our freight rail system for the needs of the 21st century. The economy cannot wait, and neither can the people who rely on it."

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Aiden Buzzetti

President of The Bull Moose Project

“This merger would allow the interchange system to be less complex, to be less of a problem, because what happens at these interchanges, you're usually moving them onto rail lines from different companies, so that means there's a higher risk of your shipment being delayed by a few days if something is wrong, they lose the rail cars occasionally as well. And so if we can streamline these interchange issues, then we're taking out the inefficiencies compared to trucks, where you just load into the truck and drive to the location and you're good. It's much more difficult to compete with trucks when you're at risk of losing track of the goods on the rail car.”

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Charles Sauer

President of Market Institute

"Beyond its transportation benefits, establishing a coast-to-coast railroad through the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger supports a key national objective: rebuilding the U.S. manufacturing base. Supply-chain disruptions in recent years have shown how critical dependable logistics are for keeping plants running and shelves stocked. Every day saved in transit, every reduction in shipping cost, and every improvement in network reliability directly affects whether American-made goods can compete with foreign alternatives."

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