The mayor of East Palestine has ripped President Biden for heading to Ukraine for a surprise visit instead of the scene of Ohio’s toxic train derailment.
Mayor Trent Conaway accused Biden of abandoning his domestic responsibilities after the 80-year-old president popped over to Kyiv on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“That was the biggest slap in the face,” Conaway told Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday night.
“That tells you right now he doesn’t care about us,” the mayor continued.
“He can send every agency he wants to, but I found out this morning that he was in Ukraine giving millions of dollars away to people over there and not to us … on President’s Day in our country, so I’m furious.”
The Biden administration has faced intense backlash over its response to the Feb. 3 train derailment in the small Ohio town, which caused a toxic spill and forced the evacuation of roughly 5,000 panicked residents.
President Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine to meet with President Zelensky on Feb. 20.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway has criticized President Biden for heading to Ukraine instead of the scene of Ohio’s toxic train derailment. Fox News
Federal agencies — including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — were sent in to help respond to the disaster.
But Conway and local residents have said the resources on the ground have been insufficient and slammed the slow federal response.
Residents have expressed fears that their air and drinking water have been contaminated following what officials called a controlled burn of the chemicals, including vinyl chloride.
An aerial picture shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.AP
Meanwhile, embattled Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg only announced Tuesday that he was planning to head to East Palestine — nearly three weeks after the disaster unfolded.
Buttigieg told ABC’s “Good Morning America” of his intentions but stopped short of providing a timeline for his visit.
Earlier, Buttigieg had sent a letter to Norfolk Southern — the company that owns the derailed freight train — accusing them of putting profits above safety.
His three-page letter to the rail company came as he continues to face calls for impeachment, or his resignation, over his handling of the devastating derailment.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/02/21/east-palestine-mayor-rips-biden-for-not-visiting-ohio-train-site/