White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre remained non-committal about whether President Joe Biden intended to visit East Palestine, Ohio, following the derailment of a train filled with toxic chemicals in early February — but said the public should “feel at ease” about the administration’s response to the incident to date.
“I just don’t have anything to share. I know there’s a lot of interest on that,” Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Thursday afternoon when asked if Biden planned to visit the site of the disaster.
“I mean, I think what folks should understand and folks should I think feel at ease is that the president has taken this very seriously,” she continued.
Pressed further on the issue of a potential Biden visit, Jean-Pierre brushed off the implication that a presidential visit would be an important show of support.
“The president frequently visits the sites of many natural and man-made disasters,” a reporter asked. “I’m just struggling to understand why the president wouldn’t go to East Palestine?”
“I want to be very clear here,” Jean-Pierre said. “There’s no reason to struggle, I don’t think, on this question.”
Reporter: "The president frequently visits the sites of many natural and man-made disasters … I'm just struggling to understand why the president wouldn't go to East Palestine?"
Jean-Pierre: "There's no reason to struggle on this question." pic.twitter.com/SgeYsKq9Xv
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) February 23, 2023
On February 3, a partial derailment of a Norfolk Southern train led to the release of dangerous chemicals including vinyl chloride, a compound linked to increased risk of several forms of cancer. Subsequently, authorities conducted a “controlled fire” of the train in order to prevent a larger explosion.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dispatched disaster-support team units to East Palestine last Friday.
“FEMA and the State of Ohio have been in constant contact regarding emergency operations in East Palestine. U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and Ohio EPA have been working together since day one,” Republican governor Mike DeWine announced during a press conference featuring FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas Sivak.
FEMA has argued that the toxic train derailment was outside its purview since the disaster was man made rather than natural.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the site for the first time Thursday, has sought to redirect criticism of his handling of the crisis by casting blame on former president Donald Trump.
Last Wednesday, Buttigieg touted the Department of Transportation’s response to the crisis.
“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,” Buttigieg 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.”
However, as NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has pointed out, the pending braking rule scrapped by the Trump administration would not have impacted the train that derailed.