Former President Donald Trump will visit East Palestine, Ohio next week to meet with members of the community still reeling from the train derailment that led to the large-scale release of toxic chemicals earlier this month.
Mr. Trump confirmed his plans on Saturday with a statement blasting President Biden for the federal government’s response to the Feb. 3 incident.
“Biden and FEMA said they would not be sending federal aid to East Palestine,” the former president said in a statement. “As soon as I announced that I’m going, he announced a team will go. Hopefully he will also be there. This is good news because we got them to “move.” The people of East Palestine need help. I’ll see you on Wednesday!”
Fox News first reported Mr. Trump’s travel plans.
The Biden administration has come under criticism amid accusations that the federal government was slow to respond to the release of toxic chemicals caused by the derailment.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in particular, has come under fire for remaining silent on the derailment and for declining to mention the incident in public remarks after the crash.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, demanded action from Mr. Buttigieg in a post on Twitter earlier this week.
“East Palestine railroad derailment will have a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents for decades and there is almost zero national media attention,” the progressive lawmaker wrote. “We need Congressional inquiry and direct action from Pete Buttigieg to address this tragedy.”
The White House says officials from the Environment Protection Agency arrived at the site soon after the derailment to support state and local officials leading the response. The administration says dozens of EPA officials remain on the ground to monitor air and water quality, and screen homes for contaminants.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has not been deployed to the site, but the White House says agency officials are “in constant contact with the emergency operations center in East Palestine, as well as the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Federal partners.”
The Department of Health a Humans Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began deploying toxicologists to the site on Saturday amid reports that some residents continue to feel ill and say they can still smell toxic fumes in the air.
State officials have assured residents that the air and water in East Palestine are safe.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.