The stabbing of 23-year-old refugee Iryna Zarutska last month is fueling public transit safety talks in the House of Representatives. (Getty Images;NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
Lawmakers said they are hoping to hear directly from officials on strategies to mitigate crime on public transit systems.
While public transportation has already been under the committee's purview, the tragic killing of Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte last month is fueling new urgency for House lawmakers on the panel.
The Thursday roundtable is directly tied to that incident, Fox News Digital is told.
Among the participants expected are Federal Transit Administration leader Marc Molinaro, who is a former House lawmaker, as well as American Public Transportation Association President Paul Skoutelas, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) CEO Randy Clarke.
A member of House GOP leadership, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., is also expected to attend.
A spokesperson for the House Transportation Committee, led by Chair Sam Graves, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that the roundtable would help inform legislation being crafted by the panel.
Side-by-side images of Iryna Zarutska and a light rail platform in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Associated Press)
The case is now the latest example being held up by Republicans of big cities having too lax a justice system in dealing with crime, including on mass transit.
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It comes amid broader partisan divisions over the merits of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to major cities in order to deal with violent crime.
And while Thursday's roundtable is bipartisan, Democrats have previously accused Republicans of politicizing the 23-year-old's death.
"I think it's outrageous that people are trying to politicize the death of this wonderful young lady. It's outrageous that anyone would politicize that death. What decency do people have at a moment like this, as opposed to trying to find commonsense solutions?" House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said earlier this month.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scoop-iryna-zarutska-stabbing-fuels-transit-safety-overhaul-talks-house