EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Vice President JD Vance pledged the support of President Donald Trump and the entire administration for the East Palestine community in the continued aftermath of the train derailment that devastated the village two years ago. But he stopped short of committing to a federal disaster declaration that many in the community have called for.

Vance visited the Columbiana County village Monday on the two-year anniversary of the Feb. 3, 2023, catastrophe. He delivered brief remarks at the East Palestine fire station, joined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Gov. Mike DeWine, Republican U.S. Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-6th, and other state and local officials.

The visit, which came just two weeks after Vance was sworn in as vice president, is “a signal to the people here in East Palestine that we will not forget you,” he said. He pledged to not only complete the environmental side of the cleanup but to see the village “build back better and stronger and more prosperous than it was” before the derailment.

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a visit to East Palestine on Monday.

“The president loves this community,” Vance said. “We are in it for the long haul.”  

Watching as the disaster took place two years ago “educated the rest of us around America what was going on, and it motivated all of us to want to do our part,” Zeldin said. After he was sworn in as EPA administrator, he said Vance told him that his first trip would be to East Palestine.

“I know how much of a priority that this is for Vice President Vance, and because it is such a high priority for him, I will make sure at EPA it is our highest priority,” he said.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks during Monday’s visit.

Asked whether a federal disaster declaration could be declared to assist the community, Vance said he would discuss the issue with Zeldin and DeWine.

“It’s an interesting question, because a disaster declaration may have been very helpful 18 months ago. I don’t know that it’s still helpful today,” he said. “If the answer is yes, then I’m going to take that message back to Washington. But the answer may be no, right?”

Vance also criticized the response of the federal government under President Joe Biden and blasted former Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer for not bringing the Railway Safety Act up for a vote. Vance and former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, both supported the legislation, which was introduced in the wake of the 2023 derailment.

“It’s something that I think that we have a much better shot at, frankly, with Republicans in charge,” Vance said.

Additionally, he was critical of railroad operator Norfolk Southern, which he said hadn’t kept several promises to the East Palestine community, including pledges to compensate individuals who were injured as a result of the accident and to pay to build a training facility for firefighters in the tri-state region.

“A lot of this comes down to making sure the promises of Norfolk Southern actually turn from promises into reality,” he said.  

Defending Use of Tariffs

During the question-and-answer session, Vance also defended the administration’s use of tariffs. Trump has pledged to enact tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico to force them to act on illegal immigration and to curb the flow of drugs into the United States. The tariffs were to take effect Tuesday, but on Monday he announced pauses on both.

“We have had successive administrations who have not recognized that America’s economic power is not just a source of prosperity, but it’s also something that we should be willing to put to use to make the American people safer and public,” Vance said. Particularly at the southern border, the country has had a neighbor that hasn’t taken its “basic responsibility seriously about securing their border and doing basic law enforcement within their own country,” leading to an explosion in the amount of fentanyl in this country, including communities like East Palestine, he said.

Trump also has been “very clear” about the need to “rebalance our trade relationship” even with its northern neighbor, which Vance said charges “massive tariffs” on U.S. goods, including agricultural products. “The American president is saying we’re done being taken advantage of,” Vance said.  

Issues Discussed

Before the public event, the federal, state and local officials met with business owners and community leaders to discuss issues affecting the village, said state Rep. Monica Blasdel of Columbiana, R-79th.

“We just shared concerns about overall economic development, growth of the community, ensuring the safety of the community [and] making sure that the derailment site is truly cleaned up to the specs that it should be,” said village fire Chief Keith Drabek.

In front, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and Gov. Mike DeWine were among the local, state and federal officials who gathered at the East Palestine fire station Monday.

Blasdel described it as a “productive conversation” and said the Trump administration was “laser focused” on the community. Much of the discussion focused on promoting economic development in the village and addressing health concerns. Business owners report that sales remain down in the community.  

“We are working to spread the news that it’s safe to come here to East Palestine. I live very close to this village myself, and I want my constituents to know that it’s safe to be here” she said. “It’s safe to live here, and we are encouraging growth in the area.”  

Also in attendance was state Sen. Al Cutrona of Canfield, R-33rd.

“I thank Vice President Vance for taking time to visit East Palestine and for his continued support to clean up the community and make it whole again,” Cutrona said in a statement issued after the visit. “We will need to invest more time and resources to build back the businesses and residents, but we will not stop until that is done.”

Drabek also said he was pleased with what he heard from Vance and the EPA administrator.

“They’re going to be transparent. They’re going to be more transparent than the past administration was, and I think we have a good working relationship going forward,” he said.

What Residents Want

“What all of us want is that life back and not to be interrupted by this kind of stuff,” Ashley McCollum, a 10-year resident of the village, said after the event. “We want the normal, humdrum kind of happy family events without this being a burden on our thoughts, without having to make our appointments for medical visits around our sports – if our kids can even do the sports. We want to be able to go on and move on with our lives, not be relocated, and that’s something a lot of people don’t know.”

Declaring a disaster would trigger the Stafford Act, which would provide additional federal assistance, adding it to a national priority list for cleanup, or federal officials “could write something new for us,” said Christina Graves, a lifelong resident of the village. She added that many people are reluctant to come forward with their complaints because they are afraid of being bullied.

“I just want what’s best for all of our families. If you want to stay and you know the risks, I hope you are healthy and healthy here forever,” she said. “And if you know the risks and you’re having issues and you want out, I want an ethical way to remove your family from this situation.”

State Attorney General Dave Yost also issued a news release Monday stating he had visited East Palestine to reaffirm the state’s commitment to accountability for the people affected by the disaster. And he met privately with East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway to discuss the latest developments in the federal lawsuit Yost filed against Norfolk Southern, which remains in the discovery phase.

“My client is the state of Ohio and all Ohioans, including those comprising the East Palestine community, and my office continues to seek answers on these Ohioans’ behalf,” Yost said in the release. “This lawsuit is about trying to make sure something like this never happens again.”

He said the state would not consider a settlement “that fails to fully address the scope of the damage.”