The Tragic Events In East Palestine, Ohio

It’s been heartbreaking to witness the devastating situation in East Palestine, Ohio and the surrounding communities. Not only has the train derailment of toxic waste caused an environmental catastrophe, killing animals and destroying infrastructure, but the effects on residents’ longterm health is deeply concerning. This disaster has not received the attention and response it deserves, especially from the Biden Administration. Sadly, it’s the people of Ohio who are facing the consequences of the President’s inaction.

The Biden Administration turned down the initial Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) request from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, claiming that the situation was not eligible for disaster assistance. Additionally, it took U.S. Secretary Pete Buttigieg nearly three weeks to visit the site, and President Biden said he will not be visiting himself. The people of Ohio are in desperate need of help, and our top leaders slowwalked their response and initially neglected this dire situation.

This Administration has also not been forthcoming with crucial information for the residents. These communities deserve full transparency from federal and state environmental protection officials to better understand what happened, especially the extent of the contamination of their water, air, and soil. We also must investigate the root causes to ensure that this crisis doesn’t occur again anywhere in America. Despite the false narrative from the left, the former president’s deregulation had nothing to do with the train that derailed in East Palestine, according to a New York Times report.

Additionally, the clean-up process has posed safety concerns for communities in other states. The lack of communication between federal, state, and local officials has led to grave concerns for states like Texas and Michigan, which said they were unaware that soil and water from the site of the train derailment were being transported to their regions.

The devastating derailment has uprooted the lives of the residents in Ohio and potentially other areas of our nation, and I am deeply disappointed in the Administration’s initial inaction on this crisis.