President Joe Biden said this week that he hasn’t “had the chance” to go to East Palestine, Ohio, even though he promised to do a visit there in March after a train accident caused a deadly chemical spill that polluted the village’s air and water.
When a reporter asked Biden why he hadn’t been yet, he gave a long answer that went something like this:
“I haven’t made it to East Palestine. I’ve just been unable to take a break since there’s so much going on here. Thoughts of visiting East Palestine this week crossed my mind, but then I realized I had to go practically all the way around the globe. I’m traveling from Washington to India to Vietnam too — and it’s going to take a bit, but we’re making sure that East Palestine gets the material resources it requires to cope with its difficulties.”
BIDEN: “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on.” pic.twitter.com/YfQAt7DoYK
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 3, 2023
At that moment, Biden was in Florida inspecting Hurricane Idalia’s devastation. He went to Maui a few weeks ago to look at the damage caused by the fires on the island.
But it’s not clear why Biden hasn’t gone to East Palestine, which is still getting back on its feet after the spill. The Associated Press says that it will cost at least $803 million to get rid of all the dangerous chemicals and pay for other costs.
