Buttigieg Invited to East Palestine Town Hall by Ohio Republican Following Railway Accident

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2022. Win McNamee/Getty Images

A Republican congressman from Ohio who represents East Palestine says it is “past time” for Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to hear the concerns of locals, and that he will “reserve [Buttigieg] a seat,” ahead of a town hall meeting on Wednesday night.

The town hall comes in the wake of a 50-railcar train derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3. Ten of the derailed cars carried vinyl chloride and other potentially toxic chemicals, causing a hazardous chemical spill.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) called on Buttigieg to attend the meeting in a tweet on Wednesday, inviting the transportation secretary to the 7 p.m. meeting slated to take place at a local high school.

“@SecretaryPete, hope to see you tonight at the town hall in #EastPalestine. I'll save a seat for you. It’s past time you hear the concerns of residents affected by the train derailment,” Johnson said.

Residents in the area of the crash were forced to evacuate due to a controlled chemical release that sent dense smoke into the air. The release was conducted to avoid a possible explosion following the pressure build-up from the derailment.

Buttigieg does not appear to have responded to the morning invitation by Johnson, but he did applaud some bipartisan agreement by lawmakers on Twitter.

On Feb. 13, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said in a tweet that a congressional inquiry would be needed, along with direct action from Buttigieg due to the “significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing” of local residents.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) responded on Feb. 14 by saying he “fully” agreed with Omar. Buttigieg replied on Twitter around noon on Feb. 15 saying, “Glad to see newfound bipartisan agreement here.”

“We could start by discussing immediate steps Congress could take to address rail safety & reduce constraints on USDOT in this area,” the transportation secretary went on. “Give us a call, we can do some good work.”

Buttigieg broke his silence earlier in a series of statements following criticism, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

“I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own,” he said.

The transportation secretary said the National Transportation Safety Board was already investigation the incident, noting that the Department of Transportation is assisting with the probe.

“Our Federal Rail Administration and Pipelines and Hazardous Materials teams were onsite within hours of the initial incident and continue to be actively engaged,” he said. “We will look to these investigation results & based on them, use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and continue to support safety.”

The Department of Transportation did not respond to The Epoch Times’s questions regarding whether Buttigieg would attend the town hall before time for publication.