Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) criticized President Joe Biden‘s administration for its lackluster response to a train derailing in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.
The centrist senator, who has been a thorn in Biden’s side, said the administration’s response was “unacceptable” because it took nearly two weeks for a senior official to visit the town.
“I urge President Biden, Administrator Regan, and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to provide a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months, and years to come and this sort of accident never happens again,” Manchin said. “The damage done to East Palestine and the surrounding region is awful, and it’s past time for those responsible to step up to the plate.”
EPA ADMINISTRATOR AND OHIO SENATORS TO TRAVEL TO EAST PALENSTINE THURSDAY
The train, which crashed on Feb. 3, was carrying at least five hazardous chemicals and forced officials to release the toxic fumes into the air to avoid an explosion. One of the chemicals was linked to liver damage, Environmental Protection Agency officials said.
Manchin’s criticism comes as EPA Administrator Michael Regan visits the state 13 days after the initial derailment. Besides Regan, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) also visited East Palestine on Thursday.
During his visit, Vance said he would call on Congress to draft legislation to solve the problem. He also called on Buttigieg to stop blaming former President Donald Trump for his department’s slow response.
“The Department of Transportation, your Department of Transportation, has things it can do. Stop blaming Donald Trump, a guy who hasn’t been president for three years, and use the powers of the federal government to do the things necessary to help people in this community,” Vance said.
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Buttigieg laid out the investments the Transportation Department is making in railway safety in a Tuesday post on Twitter while also blaming Trump for the repeal of a proposed safety regulation in 2018.
“We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe,” he said. “And of course, I’m always ready to work with Congress on furthering (or in some cases, restoring) our capacity to address rail safety issues.”
