Mar-a-Lago, FL – One day after President Donald J. Trump visited East Palestine and delivered supplies to the forgotten community, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was forced to finally step foot in the town and face the people he has long ignored.
It has almost been a month since East Palestine suffered its worst tragedy in their history, yet Joe Biden and his administration have neglected to show up with immediate relief. When President Trump announced his trip to meet the people of the community and bring tractor-trailer loads full of essential supplies to help people still affected by the train derailment, the Biden administration curiously sprang into action and approved FEMA resources that were initially rejected.
While President Trump forced the inept federal government and Biden to act, here is how Biden and Buttigieg spent the last 20 days ignoring the concerns of the citizens of East Palestine.
Biden and Buttigieg’s Failures
Local residents complained about being sick and animals are reportedly dying.
The Biden administration withheld FEMA aid requested by East Palestine’s mayor.
It took nearly two weeks for anyone at the White House to contact the mayor.
Biden announces $500M in new military aid to Ukraine.
Biden’s Schedule
Feb 4: Goes to Syracuse for a funeral and then Camp David.
Feb 5: Shoots the spy balloon down.
Feb 6: No events.
Feb 7: State of the Union
Feb 8: Speech in DeForest, Wisconsin.
Feb 9: Speech in Tampa, Florida.
Feb 10: Meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the White House and attends a National Governors Association meeting.
Feb 11: Black Tie Dinner at White House
Feb 12: Enjoys the Super Bowl alone eating ice cream and guacamole.
Feb 13: Dodges questions about unidentified objects downed on Sunday.
Feb 14: Keynote address during the National Association of Counties.
Feb 15: Speech in Lanham, Maryland.
Feb 16: Delivered a response to unidentified objects in the sky and screened the movie “Till”
Feb 17: No events.
Feb 18: No events.
Feb 19: Leaves for a secret trip to Ukraine.
Feb 20: Meets President Zelensky in Kiev.
Feb 21: Meets President Duda in Warsaw, Poland.
Feb 22: Meets Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg and departs Warsaw for the United States.
Secretary Buttigieg’s Schedule
Feb 4: Celebrates “Transit Equity Day”
Feb 5: Celebrates Secretary Granholm’s’ birthday
Feb 6: No events.
Feb 7: No events.
Feb 8: No events.
Feb 9: Speeches in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas.
Feb 10: No events.
Feb 11: No events.
Feb 12: No events.
Feb 13: Five tweets about the train derailment and then a speech at the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C. (does not mention the derailment and makes his infamous “white construction workers” comment)
Feb 14: Tweets about Michigan State University shooting, wishing someone a happy birthday, finally a tweet about assisting the response, then a tweet about bridge infrastructure, and then another tweet thread doing damage control.
Feb 15: No events.
Feb 16: No events.
Feb 17: Releases damage control fact sheet from the White House.
Feb 18: No events.
Feb 19: Submits a “sharply worded letter” to Norfolk Southern Railway’s CEO
Feb 20: Says he will go to East Palestine when the “time is right.”
Feb 21: Announces a package of safety reforms and that he wants to take some personal time.
Feb 22: Announces he will visit East Palestine, Ohio.
More Criticism
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said on Monday that Biden’s trip to Ukraine was the “biggest slap in the face,” and showed he “doesn’t care about us” and that he was “furious” Biden was supporting Ukraine and not his town.
“It’s ridiculous that Joe Biden hasn’t been to East Palestine. It’s all politics all the time for Biden and he doesn’t give a damn!” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz wrote on Twitter
“It is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior administration official to show up,” U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
“We need Congressional inquiry and direct action from Secretary Buttigieg to address this tragedy,” Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar wrote on Twitter.
“Amidst an impending possible rail strike last year, Secretary Buttigieg left the country to vacation in Portuguese wine country,” Senator Marco Rubio wrote. “Near misses in commercial aviation, as well as recent system failures, including the one that shutdown air travel in Florida in January, indicate that serious and persistent problems across the DOT are not being sufficiently remedied. I do not have confidence that Secretary Buttigieg is capable of keeping the American people safe.”
“The people in East Palestine had their water, air, and soil poisoned,” Ohio Senator Mike Rulli wrote on Twitter. “Pete Buttigieg’s only response was to spin and say it wasn’t a big deal. He’s not doing his job. He needs to resign. Now.”
His comments drew backlash from U.S. Senator J.D. Vance. Appearing in East Palestine, Senator Vance said, “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.”
“I give Secretary Buttigieg an F,” U.S. Representative Bill Johnson said. “I mean, he hasn’t shown up.”
President Trump’s Ohio supporters chanted “No More Joe” ahead of Buttigieg’s visit.
