Train operator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/norfolk-southern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norfolk Southern</a> said Tuesday that it has reached a $600 million deal in principle to <a href="https://nsmakingitright.com/norfolk-southern-reaches-agreement-in-principle-to-settleeast-palestine-derailment-class-action/">settle</a> a class-action lawsuit related to the massive derailment last year in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, which led to the release of toxic chemicals into the air and widespread economic and environmental damage. 
The Atlanta-based company said the settlement, which still needs to be approved by a court, was part of its promise &#8220;to make it right for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities.&#8221;
“If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment,” Norfolk Southern said. 
“The company is going further through this comprehensive settlement — providing additional, significant monetary relief to individuals, including for healthcare, and to help qualifying local businesses continue to rebuild and grow,” the train operator said. “The agreement is designed to provide finality and flexibility for settlement class members. Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment.”
Money from the settlement could go toward healthcare, medical monitoring, property restoration and diminution, compensation for any net business loss due, and any other loss due to the disaster.
After the February 2023 derailment, responders busted open several train cars and burned the vinyl chloride chemicals inside, releasing toxic fumes into the area. The chemicals were burned over concerns that the train cars could explode, but National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/controlled-burn-of-toxic-chemicals-that-unleashed-mushroom-cloud-over-east-palestine-wasnt-necessary-federal-official-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month that the burn was not justified.
Norfolk Southern added that the settlement doesn’t mean admitting any wrongdoing or fault. Former federal district judge Layn Phillips helped to mediate the negotiations. 
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The railway company is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facing</a> an additional lawsuit from the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency to require Norfolk Southern to pay for the entire disaster cleanup.
“With this complaint, the Justice Department and the EPA are acting to pursue justice for the residents of East Palestine and ensure that Norfolk Southern carries the financial burden for the harm it has caused and continues to inflict on the community,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed.

U.S.-OHIO-FREIGHT TRAIN-TOXIC CHEMICALS-DERAILMENT

Norfolk Southern Announces $600 Million Settlement With East Palestine Residents Over Train Derailment

Disasters

East Palestine

Norfolk Southern

Ohio

Ohio Train Disaster

Train

U.S.

A federal official with the National Transportation Safety Board said that the controlled burning of toxic chemicals in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, after a massive train derailment last year was not justified. 
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told lawmakers on Wednesday that there would have been alternatives to busting open the train cars and burning the vinyl chloride chemicals inside after a train operated by Norfolk Southern crashed in February of 2023. The burn released toxic fumes into the area and left residents with concerns about their health and safety. 
The company in charge of the chemicals, Oxy Vinyls, reportedly did not think a deadly explosion would occur, telling contractors with Norfolk Southern that “there was no justification to do a vent and burn,” according to Homendy. Instead, they could have waited and let the chemicals cool down. 
Homendy said that Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) and other first responders did not know that this was a possibility. 
“So Oxy Vinyls was on scene providing information to Norfolk Southern’s contractor who was in the room when the decision was made, and when advice was given to the governor of Ohio, to the incident commander, they were not given full information because no one was told Oxy Vinyls was on scene,” Homendy said. “They were left out of the room. The incident commander didn’t even know they existed. Neither did the governor. So they were provided incomplete information to make a decision.”
The information came out as Homendy was <a href="https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/ntsb-chair-homendy-chemical-explosion-in-east-palestine-didnt-need-to-happen-experts-were-ignored/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questioned</a> by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) about whether the controlled burn was necessary to avoid an explosion of the toxic chemicals. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨WATCH: NTSB Chair Homendy tells Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance1</a> the chemical explosion in East Palestine, OH did not have to happen
“They were provided incomplete information to make a decision&#8230;there was no justification to do a vent and burn.” <a href="https://t.co/5vR5sd8CDZ">pic.twitter.com/5vR5sd8CDZ</a>
&mdash; Senator Vance Press Office (@SenVancePress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenVancePress/status/1765513323229900914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“To sort of recap for folks, the mushroom cloud, the chemical mushroom cloud that captured headlines across the country was the result of a controlled burn,” Vance said, before saying that the central question was whether the burn was justified or not. Vance pointed out that the measured temperature of the chemical tank cars had dropped and stabilized after the crash. 
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Homendy said that to justify the burn, temperatures in the chemical tank cars would have to be rapidly increasing and there would have to be an infusion of oxygen into the cars. Both of these factors were not in play, according to Homendy. 
Vance called the revelations “extraordinary” and suggested that the burn was done so that more traffic and freight could be moved through quickly. 
After the crash, many East Palestine residents were forced to evacuate their homes after the derailment as the toxic chemicals burned, releasing poisonous fumes into the air, ground, and water. Norfolk Southern was sued by East Palestine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-class-action-lawsuit-filed-by-residents-against-norfolk-southern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">residents</a>, the state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entirely-avoidable-ohio-sues-norfolk-southern-for-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio</a>, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a>.

Screen Shot 2024-03-08 at 11.08.43 AM

Controlled Burn Of Toxic Chemicals That Unleashed Mushroom Cloud Over East Palestine Wasn’t Necessary, Federal Official Says

JD Vance

Mike DeWine

National transportation Safety Board

President Joe Biden will visit East Palestine, Ohio, one year after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in the town of roughly 5,000 people.
A White House official confirmed to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-travel-east-palestine-nearly-one-year-train-derailment-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> on Wednesday that Biden will travel to East Palestine in February to mark the first anniversary of the disaster and to discuss his administration’s &#8220;comprehensive, whole-of-government response&#8221; to the Norfolk Southern train derailment and the subsequent fallout.
“In February, President Biden will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, to meet with residents impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment and assess the progress that his Administration has helped deliver in coordination with state and local leaders to protect the community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable,” a Biden administration official said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/31/news/biden-to-finally-visit-east-palestine-ohio-year-after-toxic-train-derailment/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>.
Many East Palestine residents were forced to evacuate their homes after the derailment as the toxic chemicals burned, releasing poisonous fumes into the air, ground, and water. After the derailment on February 3, Norfolk Southern was sued by East Palestine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-class-action-lawsuit-filed-by-residents-against-norfolk-southern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">residents</a>, the state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entirely-avoidable-ohio-sues-norfolk-southern-for-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio</a>, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a>.
The president has been criticized for never stepping foot in East Palestine even as his chief political rival, former President Donald Trump, visited the town after the disaster and bought McDonald’s for residents who came out to see him. After the White House announced Biden would finally come to the town, some East Palestine residents weren’t thrilled to hear the news.
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told Fox News that in “my personal opinion the best time for him to come would be February of 2025 when he is on his book tour.&#8221;
&#8220;The President is always welcome to our town. That being said, I don’t know what he would do here now,” Conaway added.
An East Palestine business owner said in an interview with “Fox &amp; Friends” that Biden is only visiting the town now to “check it off the books.”
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“The American people have awakened to realize that the leader of our country did not show up to the greatest catastrophe of 2023. And now he’s going to show up because it is an election year,” said DJ Yokley. “President Trump came and supported us when he didn’t have to … Now it’s, ‘Hey we have to go visit East Palestine because we haven’t done that yet — and check it off the books.&#8217;”
Trump also slammed Biden as well after learning he would visit East Palestine for the first time a year after the disaster.
“With the World blowing up around us, with the Middle East on FIRE, Biden has finally decided to visit East Palestine, Ohio, a year late, and only to develop some political credibility because EVERYTHING else he has done has been such a DISASTER,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111850954341732900" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social. “I know those great people, I was there when it counted, and his reception won’t be a warm one. Worst President in History!”
Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnns-tapper-confronts-buttigieg-over-east-palestine-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">questioned</a> by CNN anchor Jake Tapper about why the Biden administration still had not approved Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s request for a disaster declaration, which could unlock additional resources such as health screenings to residents are not being heeded by the federal government.
Buttigieg responded, saying he doesn’t “know all the legalities of the emergency management process.”
&#8220;I do know what we can do as a department to make sure that railroads are safer,&#8221; Buttigieg added. &#8220;We’ve been taking action on everything from focused inspection of railroads, to making sure that there’s better hazardous material-related regulations, to just investing in better railroad infrastructure.”

Joe Biden

Biden To Visit East Palestine One Year After Train Derailment Disaster

Donald Trump

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>&#8216;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jake-tapper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Tapper</a> pressed Transportation Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pete-buttigieg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Buttigieg</a> about the Biden administration&#8217;s response to the Norfolk Southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio-train-disaster">train derailment</a> nearly a year after the toxic disaster in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine">East Palestine</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio">Ohio</a>.
In an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2024/01/22/the-lead-pete-buttigieg-east-palestine-jake-tapper-live.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exchange that aired</a> on Monday, Tapper asked Buttigieg why calls for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-governor-asks-biden-for-east-palestine-disaster-declaration-150-days-after-train-derailment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major disaster declaration</a> — including from Ohio Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-dewine">Mike DeWine</a> and <a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-biden-administration-declare-east-palestine-derailment-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)</a> — that could unlock additional resources such as health screenings to residents are not being heeded by the federal government.
&#8220;The Biden administration refuses to do that,&#8221; Tapper said. &#8220;They say a disaster declaration does not apply because it&#8217;s not a natural disaster. They say Norfolk Southern is responsible. So is that disaster declaration still just off the table for these residents who are clearly suffering?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CNN: Why won&#39;t Biden approve the Ohio governor&#39;s disaster declaration for East Palestine, Ohio?
PETE BUTTIGIEG: &quot;I don&#39;t know all the legalities of the emergency management process&quot; <a href="https://t.co/5Dj6m6Em0q">pic.twitter.com/5Dj6m6Em0q</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1749548434947010788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Buttigieg replied, &#8220;Look, leaving aside — I don&#8217;t know all the legalities of the emergency management process, I do know what we can do as a department to make sure that railroads are safer. We&#8217;ve been taking action on everything from focused inspection of railroads, to making sure that there&#8217;s better hazardous material-related regulations, to just investing in better railroad infrastructure.&#8221;
Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/09/20/executive-order-on-ensuring-the-people-of-east-palestine-are-protected-now-and-in-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> an executive order in September instructing FEMA to designate a federal disaster recovery coordinator to &#8220;oversee long-term recovery efforts in the affected communities and conduct a comprehensive assessment of unmet needs of the affected communities in recovering from the derailment beyond the cleanup work directed by EPA.&#8221; A coordinator, Jim McPherson, was <a href="https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/special-reports/train-derailment/fema-appoints-coordinator-recovery-efforts-east-palestine-toxic-train-derailment/95-1019191e-d9ce-463f-8373-0eec065caf91" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appointed</a> later that month. But no <a href="https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/special-reports/train-derailment/biden-norfolk-southern-accountable-ohio-derailment/95-46dc5fca-9626-4c64-94b5-1c772a383854" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disaster declaration</a>.
Tapper also confronted Buttigieg on why Biden has not visited East Palestine since the derailment in early February of 2023 — a question which has been <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1748089612382134759" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posed to the White House many times</a> over the past year, often answered by statements about how the president was planning to go at some point but did not get around to scheduling it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
JAKE TAPPER: &quot;[Biden] still has not visited East Palestine, Ohio. I don&#39;t know why that is — that doesn&#39;t seem to make much sense to me &#8230; why wouldn&#39;t he just go to East Palestine?&quot;
BUTTIGIEG: &quot;I don&#39;t have any updates&quot; <a href="https://t.co/s7OWEghsI7">pic.twitter.com/s7OWEghsI7</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1749548939781734701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Biden &#8220;still has not visited East Palestine, Ohio. I don&#8217;t know why that is — that doesn&#8217;t seem to make much sense to me,&#8221; the CNN anchor said. Tapper asked why Biden would not go to East Palestine and &#8220;use the bully pulpit&#8221; to get <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senators-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-improve-rail-safety-after-ohio-train-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bipartisan legislation</a> from Brown and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to increase railroad safety regulations passed through Congress.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t have any updates on the scheduling front for the White House but what I can tell you is it shouldn&#8217;t take anything more than we&#8217;ve already seen happen for Congress to act,&#8221; Buttigieg said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know why we have to persuade anybody to do something that members in both parties claim to care about, which is to make our railroads safer.&#8221;

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

CNN’s Tapper Confronts Buttigieg Over East Palestine Train Disaster

CNN's Tapper Confronts Buttigieg Over East Palestine Train Disaster

Biden Administration

Cabinet

Jake Tapper

Pete Buttigieg

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> said during a press conference in Florida on Saturday that he has not had a chance to go to East Palestine, Ohio, because he&#8217;s been too busy.
&#8220;You said in March that you would go to East Palestine, Ohio,&#8221; a reporter said. &#8220;You came here, how come you haven&#8217;t gone to East Palestine yet?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, I haven&#8217;t had the occasion to go to East Palestine,&#8221; Biden responded. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot going on, here, and I just haven&#8217;t been able to break.&#8221;
&#8220;I was thinking whether I&#8217;d go to East Palestine this week, but I then was reminded I&#8217;ve got to go literally around the world,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m going from, from Washington to India to Vietnam to&#8211;, and so I it&#8217;s going to be a while.&#8221;
&#8220;But we&#8217;re making sure that East Palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with their problems,&#8221; he continued.
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WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIDEN: “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on.” <a href="https://t.co/YfQAt7DoYK">pic.twitter.com/YfQAt7DoYK</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1698127650668363814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Political commentator Stephen L. Miller responded, &#8220;I would go to Ohio but I have to go check on India and Vietnam first so it&#8217;s going to be awhile even though I just said I was thinking of going this week after 8 months and 23 days on the beach and dementia.&#8221;
RNC Strategic Communications Director Tommy Pigott said, &#8220;Joe Biden has spent 75 days on vacation the last 6 months, including 19 days in August alone.&#8221;
&#8220;What an absolute garbage answer. East Palestine is a 1 hour flight from DC,&#8221; said political commentator Pradheep J. Shanker. &#8220;You could drive it in five hours. He has made the conscious choice to avoid the people of East Palestine, and there is a clear reason for this: because at this point they know he is a liar.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-continues-to-assist-in-recovery-efforts-while-biden-comes-to-florida-for-photo-op" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeSantis Continues To Assist In Recovery Efforts While Biden Comes To Florida For ‘Photo Op’</a>

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-HURRICANE

Biden On Why He Hasn’t Gone To East Palestine: ‘There’s A Lot Going On’

Biden On Why He Hasn't Gone To East Palestine: 'There's A Lot Going On'

Executive

Politics

Rail company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entirely-avoidable-ohio-sues-norfolk-southern-for-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norfolk Southern</a> doubled its estimate on the cost of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/east-palestine-residents-could-see-long-term-health-risks-from-highly-toxic-chemicals-analysis-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, train derailment disaster, now saying the associated costs will be $803 million. 
Executives said the majority of the cost is from the environmental cleanup as crews continue to work to remove the hazardous chemicals released when tankers carrying them derailed six months ago, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/norfolk-southern-nsc-q2-earnings-report-8b598b5b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Norfolk Southern recorded a $416 million charge stemming from the East Palestine disaster Thursday as part of its second-quarter earnings. Earlier this year, the rail giant announced a $387 million charge, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/norfolk-southern-railroad-earnings-east-palestine-derailment-4a3d912b8cb4e66e1613e44220aba4c4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press. 
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said he is “proud of the way our team rose to the challenge” as his company seeks to help with cleanup efforts and improve the safety of the railroad.
“We are delivering on our commitment to recover service quickly,” Shaw said. “We’re delivering on our commitment to make a safe railroad even safer. We’re delivering on our commitment to address quality of life issues for our hard-working craft railroaders. And we continue to deliver on our commitment to make things right for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities.”
The company’s profit from railway operations dropped by more than half in the most recent quarter compared to the previous year, and overall revenue dropped 8% to $3 billion, according to Norfolk Southern. The company’s profit dropped to $356 million ($1.56 per share) from $819 million ($3.45 per share) a year ago. Norfolk Southern estimated that without the derailment costs it would’ve earned $2.95 per share in the quarter.  
Norfolk Southern’s $803 million estimate does not include money to compensate East Palestine residents for any <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/east-palestine-residents-could-see-long-term-health-risks-from-highly-toxic-chemicals-analysis-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">long-term health effects</a> related to the chemical spill. The company opted to burn several cars filled with the dangerous chemical vinyl chloride over fears that the cars would explode. The fire sent a cloud of smoke that remained over the town of 4,700 for days. Nearly six months after the disaster, chemicals from the derailment appear to still be present in a creek as trucks continue to haul contaminated water and soil out of the town, WSJ <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-update-cb5815ee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
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“From the beginning, we’ve been clear that we would be in town for the long haul,” said Connor Spielmaker, a Norfolk Southern spokesman. “We don’t have a timeline to provide as far as when it’ll be ‘job done,’ but we will be there until it is.”
Earlier this month, Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) <a href="https://governor.ohio.gov/media/news-and-media/governor-dewine-requests-presidential-disaster-declaration-for-east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> President Joe Biden to issue a major disaster declaration order, which would allow the town to receive federal aid in the cleanup, but the Biden administration still has not made a decision.

East Palestine Train Disaster

Norfolk Southern Says Cost Of East Palestine Derailment Has Doubled As Chemical Cleanup Continues

Norfolk Southern Says Cost Of East Palestine Derailment Has Doubled As Chemical Cleanup Continues 6 Months Later

The White House claimed on Wednesday that President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> still plans to visit <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine">East Palestine</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio">Ohio</a>, five months after the Norfolk Southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio-train-disaster">train derailment disaster</a>.
But White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to share a date when <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?529128-1/white-house-daily-briefing">a reporter raised a question</a> about a visit, noting that Biden has &#8220;done a lot of travel in recent weeks and months&#8221; to other places.
&#8220;So, I&#8217;m just going to repeat what the president said,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said. &#8220;He will travel to the area, to East Palestine. Just don&#8217;t have anything to share on travel or upcoming dates that he&#8217;ll be there. But the president said it, he&#8217;s going to go. So he will go. Once we have a date, we&#8217;ll certainly share that.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Why has the president not made the visit [to East Palestine] and at this point, is he just not going to?”
Karine Jean-Pierre: “He will travel&#8230;Just don’t have anything to share on travel” <a href="https://t.co/YkYvB59GyL">pic.twitter.com/YkYvB59GyL</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1676667347942113280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed on February 3 while passing through the small town of East Palestine, a village near Ohio&#8217;s border with Pennsylvania. Locals soon began to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unlike-anything-i-have-ever-seen-ohio-first-responder-says-residents-suffer-from-health-issues-after-train-derailment?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwnewstwitter">raise concerns</a> about health and environmental threats posed by a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/air-quality-following-controlled-burn-at-ohio-derailment-site-basically-what-it-was-before-train-crash-governor-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controlled burn</a> of toxic chemicals at the crash site meant to deter a large explosion.
Weeks later, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/east-palestine-mayor-biden-ukraine-train-derailment/43012110#">described</a> Biden visiting Ukraine instead of his community as &#8220;the biggest slap in the face that tells you right now he doesn&#8217;t care about us.&#8221; After Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-buttigieg-provides-answer-on-why-he-did-not-visit-east-palestine-sooner">traveled to the derailment area</a> in late February — one day behind former President Donald Trump paying a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-are-not-forgotten-trump-visits-ohio-town-impacted-by-train-crash-hits-biden-over-lack-of-attention-toward-community">visit</a> to East Palestine — Biden said in early March that <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-visit-east-palestine-point-after-toxic-train/story?id=97587626#:~:text=President%20Joe%20Biden%20said%20Thursday,Senate%20Majority%20Leader%20Chuck%20Schumer.">&#8220;at some point&#8221;</a> he would make the trip to the town.
Jean-Pierre also said on Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is reviewing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio">Ohio</a> Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-dewine">Mike DeWine</a>&#8216;s request for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-governor-asks-biden-for-east-palestine-disaster-declaration-150-days-after-train-derailment">major disaster declaration</a> and she stressed that Norfolk Southern was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/21/us/ohio-epa-cleanup-norfolk-southern.html">ordered</a> by the Environmental Protection Agency to pay for cleanup costs.
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&#8220;The EPA is making them pay so that the taxpayers don&#8217;t have to pay for their mess,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said. &#8220;And so we&#8217;ve been very clear about that. The EPA has been on top of that. And so when it comes to Norfolk Southern, they have met their terms of the order to date and there are stiff penalties if they do not.&#8221;

White House Insists Biden Still Plans To Visit East Palestine Five Months After Train Derailment

Karine Jean-Pierre

White House

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio">Ohio</a> Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-dewine">Mike DeWine</a> requested a major disaster declaration on Monday from the Biden administration for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine,</a> 150 days after the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
In a <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2023/07/03/file_attachments/2544385/REQUEST%20FOR%20PRESIDENTIAL%20DISASTER%20DECLARATION%207.3.2023.pdf">letter</a> to President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, the state&#8217;s Republican governor explained that the deadline to make the request was Monday, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency refused to grant an extension, while the state &#8220;continues to evaluate long term needs&#8221; stemming from the early February train incident. DeWine added that assistance to the community from Norfolk Southern, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash">faces</a> <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2023-06-05/norfolk-southern-says-east-palestine-residents-suit-barred-by-us-law">litigation</a> over the derailment and just announced last Friday that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/norfolk-southern-sues-rail-chemical-cos-over-east-palestine-cleanup-2023-07-03/">sue rail car owners</a> over cleanup costs, is not guaranteed.
&#8220;The possibility remains that the voluntary support provided by Norfolk Southern could at some point in the future cease, and this Declaration is needed to ensure that the State and Federal government use all resources available to step in and provide the community with needed assistance,&#8221; DeWine wrote.
Recently released <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/us/politics/train-derailment-east-palestine-ntsb.html">documents</a> from the National Transportation Safety Board show the freight train derailed on February 3 while passing through the small town of East Palestine, a village near Ohio&#8217;s border with Pennsylvania, after a car&#8217;s wheel set fell off, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/us/politics/train-derailment-east-palestine-ntsb.html">according to The New York Times</a>. Although no one was killed in the derailment, local residents were soon terrified by the health and environmental threats posed by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/air-quality-following-controlled-burn-at-ohio-derailment-site-basically-what-it-was-before-train-crash-governor-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controlled burn</a> of toxic chemicals that spilled out of tanker cars.
DeWine, who noted that officials had determined a &#8220;controlled release&#8221; would be the safest course of action meant to &#8220;avoid the dangers of explosion,&#8221; said that the clean-up of the site continues to this day, five months later.
&#8220;Residents continue to report medical conditions and are concerned that the air and water were impacted by the chemicals released during this incident,&#8221; the governor added. &#8220;This derailment and the subsequent controlled release were extraordinary events that continue to garner national media coverage.&#8221;
DeWine also said the state is still working to &#8220;identify current needs and evaluate the future impacts&#8221; the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio-train-disaster">disaster</a> will have on individuals and the East Palestine community.
&#8220;In addition to the physical and mental health impacts, there have been economic impacts,&#8221; the governor wrote. &#8220;Homeowners and business have seen property value decline and loss of business as people are hesitant to come into the community.&#8221;

East Palestine train tracks

Ohio Governor Asks Biden For East Palestine Disaster Declaration 150 Days After Train Derailment

Residents impacted by the disastrous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, train derailment in February are continuing to criticize the government’s handling of the toxic fallout stemming from the train wreck. 
East Palestine locals created a group earlier this month called the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment Community, demanding that Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-dewine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike DeWine</a> (R-OH) declare an emergency over the derailment. With the July 3 deadline coming up for DeWine to make a move, many residents are still skeptical of the government&#8217;s response. 
“We want transparency and we want the freedom to choose, and we can’t be letting these corporations decide the fate of our lives anymore,” Hilary Flint, who helped form the Unity Council, <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_a0019294-16b8-11ee-a501-43efcf088008.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Center Square. 
Some of the train cars, operated by Norfolk Southern, were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/half-of-u-s-investigators-fell-ill-while-studying-east-palestine-train-derailment-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carrying</a> vinyl chloride, a human carcinogen used to manufacture PVC, and formed massive plumes of black smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania after it was released via controlled burn. 
The group blasted DeWine in its petition for the governor to declare the aftermath of the 53-car train wreck an emergency. 
“To make matters worse, Governor DeWine has given control of the clean-up to Norfolk Southern – the same company responsible for the disaster – regarding testing and the financial aid process for impacted people and businesses. It’s not only a conflict of interest, it’s an insult to those affected, and Norfolk has left thousands without proper care,” the emergency petition <a href="https://only.one/act/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
The petition says that many in the East Palestine community believe that they are in danger of being forgotten, and they don’t trust the government’s response to the disaster. 
“They’ve created such an environment of distrust with how they handled this in the beginning and continue to — and when I say ‘they,’ I mean Norfolk Southern, the government, any government agencies like the EPA,” Flint said.
DeWine’s press secretary, Dan Tierney, said that the emergency declaration would not be approved because Norfolk Southern was covering the financial burden of the derailment. 
“The FEMA program is designed as, essentially, an insurer of last resort for property damage,” Tierney told The Center Square. “Very early on, if we were hearing things where somebody wasn’t getting reimbursed for (a) hotel or per-diem food, we’d bring it to Norfolk Southern’s attention and they’d be paying for it.”
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Flint has not been satisfied with the government&#8217;s handling, saying that not enough tests were being conducted on homes impacted by the accident. 
“They can’t say there’s not property damage because they have not even gone into people’s homes to test for everything,” Flint said. “They’re testing for a very specific few chemicals when this was many chemicals.”

‘Environment Of Distrust’: East Palestine Residents Slam Government Response To Train Disaster

Pennsylvania

A railway reform bill championed by freshman Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> (R-OH) is winning over high-profile support from strange political bedfellows as it heads into committee on Wednesday.
<a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/railway_safety_act_of_2023_text.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Railway Safety Act of 2023</a> was drafted after a train derailment and chemical spill contaminated the area around the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3. The accident drew national attention as residents reported symptoms of nausea and dizziness and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cincinnati-and-northern-kentucky-shut-down-water-intakes-after-train-derailment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regional water supplies</a> across several neighboring states showed signs of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prominent-grocery-store-chain-pulls-water-bottles-sourced-near-east-palestine-train-disaster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contamination</a>. The Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern, the company that owned and operated the derailed train, were blasted by both sides of the aisle for perceived deficiencies in their safety standards.
The bill aims to “enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials” and would increase inspection requirements, raise fines for safety violations, limit the size of trains, and set a minimum crew size of two certified personnel for all freight trains.
Vance’s bill has generated a considerable amount of bipartisan support — in addition to its Republican cosponsors, Josh Hawley (MO) and Marco Rubio (FL), the Rail Safety Act was also cosponsored by fellow Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D), one of the Senate’s <a href="https://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?house=senate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most progressive</a> members, as well as other Rust Belt Democrats Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and President Biden have also <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3993951-trump-throws-support-behind-bipartisan-railway-safety-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaled</a> their support for the bill.
Former President Trump, Biden’s predecessor and possible opponent in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections, has also lent his support to the bill. Trump visited East Palestine roughly three weeks after the disaster and slammed Biden for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-will-not-visit-east-palestine-following-train-catastrophe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failing</a> to do the same. Trump and Vance are close political allies — Trump endorsed Vance in 2022 and the two men toured affected areas in Ohio together after the disaster.
“JD Vance has been working hard in the Senate to make sure nothing like this EVER happens again, and that’s why it’s so important for Congress to pass his Railway Safety Act. JD’s terrific bill has my Complete and Total Endorsement!!!” Trump said via <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/110334093385622636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a>.
Last week, Brown told <a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2023/02/22/trump-tours-east-palestine--meets-with-residents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a> that he believed the bill would have enough support to pass through the Senate, but expressed concern that House Republicans might block it. Railroads are vital to the U.S. economy and move about <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/03/why-freight-railroads-are-so-successful-in-the-us.html#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20freight%20rail%20network,of%20long%20distance%20freight%20volume." target="_blank" rel="noopener">40%</a> of all long-distance freight by volume; many conservative groups have come out in opposition to the bill, arguing that it would create “a slew of significant new regulations that would do little to improve safety while creating gross inefficiencies for thousands of businesses.”
“Labor unions would be granted their long-desired wish to permanently freeze current staffing levels into place as it relates to locomotive operations,” FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/freedomworks-comes-out-against-bipartisan-rail-safety-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a letter to Congress, undersigned by over 20 conservative leaders. “This widely opposed policy lacks any justification, as shown by the previous administration, and ignores the fact that the train that derailed in Ohio had three people operating the train.”
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The former president’s support could prove to be decisive, as Trump continues to hold considerable sway over the Republican grassroots and a <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/2024_republican_presidential_nomination-7548.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commanding lead</a> in the party’s primary, giving him considerable influence within the party.
Notably, perennial Trump antagonist Mitt Romney(R-UT) has also come out in support of the bill, as well as Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
“I’m thankful to have the backing of Senators Braun, Marshall, and Romney for this commonsense piece of legislation,” Vance said in a press release given to The Daily Wire. “Their support for this bill demonstrates the widespread, bipartisan consensus building for improvements to railway safety standards across the nation.”
If the bill makes its way to President Biden’s desk, it would be the first major piece of legislation passed by the divided 118th Congress.
The Midwest has been a pivotal battleground in recent presidential cycles and neither 2024 contender can afford to lose ground there: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/01/donald-trump-will-be-president-thanks-to-80000-people-in-three-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrow</a> victories in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin propelled Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/02/940689086/narrow-wins-in-these-key-states-powered-biden-to-the-presidency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrow</a> defeats gave the contest to Biden in 2020. Ohio has historically been a vital bellwether state, but has veered deeper into the Republican camp in the last few presidential cycles — President Obama won the state in 2012 by <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/2016/06/2012_ohio_presidential_electio.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three</a> points but President Trump carried it by <a href="https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/ohio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eight</a> in 2020.

CSX railroad

J.D. Vance’s Railway Reform Bill Picks Up Steam

Vance Railway Reform Bill Picks Up Steam

Congress

The Norfolk Southern 100-car train derailment and subsequent toxic chemical fallout in East Palestine, Ohio, caused nearly half of the U.S. government investigators to experience symptoms of illness while studying the health impacts, authorities said.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/31/health/ohio-train-derailment-cdc-team-symptoms/index.html">CNN</a> last week that seven of the 15-member crew, which included members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, began feeling symptoms while surveying town residents&#8217; homes near the contaminated areas.
&#8220;Symptoms resolved for most team members later the same afternoon, and everyone resumed work on survey data collection within 24 hours,&#8221; a CDC spokesperson told the network. &#8220;Impacted team members have not reported ongoing health effects.&#8221;
Local and state authorities previously evacuated all residents within one mile of the February 3 derailment and started a controlled burn of substances on the vehicle. Five of those train cars emitted vinyl chloride, a human carcinogen used to manufacture PVC, and formed massive plumes of black smoke visible throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Residents have since raised the alarm over health symptoms they experienced after the controlled burn.
Before working from their hotels, some group members began experiencing sore throats, headaches, coughing, and nausea, which mirrored the symptoms reported by many of the town&#8217;s residents near the derailment site.
Federal officials did not disclose what caused investigators to experience such symptoms.
Two contractors from the Environmental Protection Agency out of 100 personnel working on the derailment also reported health symptoms after working in areas where the chemicals created strong odors.
The Ohio Department of Health published the results of <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OHIOGOVERNOR/bulletins/34c4146?reqfrom=share">surveys</a> conducted at its East Palestine Health Assessment Clinic, plus door-to-door visits by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, four weeks after the chemical catastrophe permeated the town&#8217;s atmosphere.
The results showed more than half of the 168 After Chemical Exposure (ACE) community surveys reported headaches, anxiety, coughing, fatigue, and irritated skin after the derailment. However, the surveys did not indicate if the residents were exposed to harmful levels of chemicals or what caused their symptoms.
EPA officials, along with the Justice Department, announced a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-epa-unveil-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern-over-east-palestine-train-crash">lawsuit</a> on Friday against Norfolk Southern, seeking &#8220;penalties and injunctive relief for the unlawful discharge of pollutants, oil, and hazardous substances&#8221; under the Clean Water Act, as well as &#8220;declaratory judgment on liability for past and future costs&#8221; related to the incident under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
The complaint from the EPA and Justice Department said materials released from the train cars, such as vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, Ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, isobutylene, and benzene residue, have been &#8220;associated variously&#8221; with impaired fetal development, organ damage, cancers, and other health conditions with a sufficiently high degree of exposure. Yet, state and federal officials have repeatedly claimed that the air and water supplies in East Palestine are safe for residents.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified before Congress earlier this month regarding the derailment but made no specific promises regarding the firm&#8217;s commitment to handling economic and health fallout into the future.
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report.

US-TRANSPORT-ACCIDENT-FIRE

Half Of U.S. Investigators Fell Ill While Studying East Palestine Train Derailment: Report

Half Of U.S. Investigators Fell Ill Studying East Palestine Train Derailment: Report

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ted-cruz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) used a congressional hearing on Wednesday to air criticisms of Transportation Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pete-buttigieg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Buttigieg</a>&#8216;s response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment disaster in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/east-palestine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">East Palestine</a>, Ohio, early last month.
The Texas Republican argued how a &#8220;delayed and disjointed response by the Biden administration&#8221; has not allayed the concerns of local residents terrified by the health and environmental threats posed by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/air-quality-following-controlled-burn-at-ohio-derailment-site-basically-what-it-was-before-train-crash-governor-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">so-called controlled burn</a> of toxic chemicals that spilled out of tanker cars.
&#8220;It took Secretary Buttigieg 10 days to even acknowledge the derailment,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;After he was called out, he did a 180 and tried to sell a slew of big government regulatory proposals, desperate to disguise the failure of the administration to act sooner.&#8221;
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It took 10 days for Pete Buttigieg to even acknowledge the East Palestine derailment.
And when he finally said something, he only tried to distract from his own failures and push regulations which have little to no connection to the East Palestine derailment. <a href="https://t.co/1YtTGJtW0T">pic.twitter.com/1YtTGJtW0T</a>
&mdash; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1638566212102770691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Blunders followed, according to Cruz, who cited the secretary&#8217;s mention of a particular withdrawn brake rule as an example of why the Transportation Department <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2023/02/23/ntsb-chair-brake-rule-buttigieg-blamed-trump-for-repealing-would-not-have-prevented-east-palestine-derailment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced &#8220;constraints.&#8221;</a> Illustrating the problem with that comment, Cruz pointed out, was that the Biden administration&#8217;s own chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, had <a href="https://twitter.com/JenniferHomendy/status/1626379361027858432?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to then go and explain how it was &#8220;FALSE&#8221;</a> to say it would have prevented the East Palestine derailment.
&#8220;Undeterred, Secretary Buttigieg then released a laundry list of regulatory proposals, many of which had little to no connection to the East Palestine derailment,&#8221; Cruz added.
&#8220;In an effort to further distract from his own failed response, Secretary Buttigieg has suggested that President Trump was responsible for the derailment in East Palestine,&#8221; the senator said.
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&#8220;I know that&#8217;s a frequent playbook of this administration, blaming every problem on President Trump, but not even The Washington Post fact-checker who usually goes out of his way to back Democrat claims, bought this claim,&#8221; Cruz continued before <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/27/so-far-trumps-rollback-regulations-cant-be-blamed-ohio-train-wreck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">citing a passage</a> from the publication&#8217;s analysis.
The remarks were made during a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/3/executive-session" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused on improving rail safety</a> following the East Palestine incident. Cruz is the ranking member of the panel.
Buttigieg has called not speaking out sooner about the train derailment a &#8220;lesson learned&#8221; for himself. &#8220;I was focused on just making sure that our folks on the ground were all set, but could have spoken sooner about how strongly I felt about this incident,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-train-derailment-pete-buttigieg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told CBS News</a>.
The secretary travelled the site in late February, but only after former President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook-pm/2023/02/23/buttigieg-admits-regret-at-derailment-site-00084178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid a visit a day earlier</a>.
At the conclusion of his opening remarks on Wednesday, Cruz lauded two of the witnesses, Sens. J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown, a Republican and Democrat from Ohio, respectively, for their efforts to bring attention to helping people affected by the derailment.
&#8220;I look forward to continuing to work closely with both of you and with the chairwoman on a bipartisan, serious rail safety package,&#8221; Cruz concluded.

Ted Cruz

Cruz Ridicules Buttigieg At Train Derailment Hearing

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