Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Ted Cruz have found rare common ground regarding the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month and the “negative impact” it will potentially have on residents of the surrounding areas.
A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed on the evening of Feb. 3, causing an environmental disaster after several cars carrying vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals spilled and caught fire.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., predicted on Twitter Monday that the incident “will have a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents for decades.”
She also called for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to take action immediately .
OHIO RESIDENTS FEAR TRAIN DERAILMENT POISONED AIR, GROUND, REPORT ANIMALS DYINGy
Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023. (DUSTIN FRANZ/AFP via Getty Images)
“We need Congressional inquiry and direct action from Pete Buttigieg to address this tragedy,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
Cruz, R-Texas, said he was in agreement with the proposed actions: “Fully agree.”
The derailment has already forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, though some have been allowed to return.
Omar’s initial tweet came in response to a statement from former Ohio Fire Chief Silverio Caggiano, who said the burning was “basically” like nuking the town.
Any common ground between the lawmakers remains uncertain as Omar challenged Cruz on his support for “reinstating the rail safety rules” for Norfolk Southern.
“So do you support reinstating the rail safety rules that Trump repealed—while Norfolk Southern executives made millions and spent billions on stock buybacks— and expanding the safety rules to cover trains that carry these chemicals?” Omar asked.
A split photo of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Buttigieg has been widely criticized after he waited 10 days to address the Ohio derailment and subsequent environmental impact.
He failed to mention the derailment in a speech at the National Association of Counties conference on Monday, although he tweeted later that evening he is “concerned about the impacts” of the disaster.
“USDOT has been supporting the investigation led by The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB),” Buttigieg said in the tweet. “We will look to these investigation results & based on them, use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and continue to support safety.”
Several lawmakers have piled on criticism of Buttigieg, who made a joke about the Chinese spy surveillance craft that flew over the continental U.S. — and other crafts like it — during the conference without addressing health concerns of the East Palestine community.
“Pete Buttigieg is a massive failure,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., tweeted Tuesday.
In another post, he said “Sec. Buttigieg doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
“Just like Biden, he’s always late to the game,” Donalds continued.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Col., added: “Any Presidential aspirations Buttigieg had before getting handed this position he has now are dead. He might be the biggest Cabinet failure in the entire Biden Regime… and you’re talking about a Cabinet that includes Mayorkas.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chimed: “Secretary Buttigieg laughing about Chinese spy balloons while ignoring the Ohio train derailment shows you how out of touch Democrats are.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, tweeted, “The train derailment in Ohio is exactly what happens when you hire unqualified people like Pete Buttigieg.”
A Norfolk Southern train is en route on February 14, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. (Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)
Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023. (DUSTIN FRANZ/AFP via Getty Images)
She added: “America needs new leaders.”
“If you listen to Secretary Buttigieg today, they’re focused more on whether we have too many white men in construction jobs than…ensuring we have a viable transportation infrastructure,” Sen. JD Vance said during an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “We are ruled by unserious people who are worried about fake problems.”
Carlson himself called Buttigieg “completely incompetent.”
“There’s never been a Cabinet Secretary this flamboyantly incompetent and so obviously uncaring almost to the point of evil, if we’re being honest,” the host added.
Former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner, a Democrat, tweeted: “He jokes about balloons while ignoring East Palestine, OH. We deserve better than this.”
Authorities said the railcars carrying the toxic substances were “intentionally breached” and drained into a trench where they were “then burned off.”
“Five railcar tankers of vinyl chloride were intentionally breached; the vinyl chloride was diverted to an excavated trench and then burned off. Areas of contaminated soil and free liquids were observed and potentially covered and/or filled during reconstruction of the rail line, including portions of the trench /burn pit that was used for the open burn off of vinyl chloride,” the Environmental Protection Agency said.
A sign welcomes visitors to the town of East Palestine on February 14, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. (Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)
Approximately 3,500 fish were killed in the aftermath of the incident, officials said. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) said Monday that officers have found dead fish within about a 7.5-mile radius of the chemical spill.
The EPA, the ODNR, other agencies and Norfolk Southern are monitoring the fallout.
The Department of Transportation, led by Buttigieg, is also looking into a deadly Amtrak crash in Missouri and an Amtrak train derailment in Montana.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
