Buttigieg will tour Ohio derailment site on heels of Trump visit

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday, as the Biden administration hastens its response to a fiery train crash earlier this month that spread toxic chemicals – and has become a flashpoint in the upcoming presidential election.

The announcement of Buttigieg’s visit comes as former President Donald Trump, who has already announced his intention to challenge President Joe Biden in 2024, plans to tour the town on Wednesday. Buttigieg will be briefed on initial findings from National Transportation Safety Board investigators who have been examining the derailment, the department said in a press release.

The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor – who rose to national prominence during his own 2020 presidential campaign – has been the focus of bipartisan scrutiny in the aftermath of the crash. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, called for Buttigieg to be fired earlier this week, and on Tuesday it was announced that the Environmental Protection Agency would take control of the response to the disaster.

An administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described that transfer of responsibility as standard in the aftermath of a chemical spill, and said the Transportation Department would continue to assist in the investigation of the crash and help implement rail safety measures going forward. The official also defended Buttigieg waiting weeks to visit the site, saying the visit came once he was confident the trip wouldn’t detract from emergency response efforts.

Buttigieg accused Republican critics of hypocrisy, saying they supported railroad industry efforts to block safety measures. Trump, during his administration, rolled back a series of shipping regulations, including a 2015 rule sought by the Obama administration requiring freight trains to upgrade their braking technology.

Still, the White House has stepped up its public efforts to address the crisis in recent days as Republicans have seized on the issue. On Tuesday, Biden called EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who toured East Palestine earlier in the day, as well as the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania from Poland, where he was meeting with European leaders to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House hasn’t indicated plans for Biden himself to visit the disaster site.