McConnell Remarks on East Palestine Train Derailment

Statement

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Ohio train derailment:

"The attention and the prayers of the entire nation have been fixed for the past several weeks on the small town of East Palestine and the surrounding area in Northeast Ohio.

"The derailment of the Norfolk Southern train led to a disastrous chemical release, forcing many from their homes and leaving a community vulnerable. The people of East Palestine are understandably anxious and upset. They deserve answers.

"Our colleague the junior Senator from Ohio has been all over this issue. We will continue to work with him to ensure the people of Ohio are appropriately informed and supported in the months to come. We also thank Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for his leadership on the ground.

"Unfortunately, this leadership has cut a sharp contrast with the Biden Administration's Secretary of Transportation.

"Even amidst a catalog of crises on his watch, from this and other recent train derailments to the meltdown in air travel back during the holiday season, Secretary Buttigieg has seemed more interested in pursuing press coverage for woke initiatives and climate nonsense than in attending to the basic elements of his day job.

"Understandably, there were some initial concerns in my home state of Kentucky about possible impacts, since we're downriver.

"But the good news is that even after careful monitoring by local experts, there's no reason to believe Kentuckians have anything to worry about.

"Local water authorities are monitoring the Ohio River's downstream water quality very closely, and thus far they've seen no cause for alarm whatsoever. Every indication is that the situation for Kentuckians is 100% normal. Even so, my staff and I remain in close communication with all of the relevant utilities and local authorities."

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