Several House committees are considering holding hearings about the Biden administration's response to the Ohio train derailment that released chemical toxins into the environment earlier this month.
Both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee are considering probes, according to Axios. The hearings would come after Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, last week — a trip that caused bipartisan criticism over the delay in federal response.
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: REPUBLICANS AND TRUMP 'OWE EAST PALESTINE AN APOLOGY,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS
The train derailment on Feb. 3 displaced residents from both Ohio and Pennsylvania and left many in East Palestine worried over the safety of the air and water in the town. While federal officials are reportedly surveying residents on their health and providing resources, many residents are worried they are being forgotten by President Joe Biden for political reasons, as Ohio is a rural, Republican-heavy state.
House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Buttigieg on Friday, the same day the transportation secretary visited the derailment site for the first time. In the letter, he criticized Buttigieg for ignoring the "catastrophe for over a week."
He asked for documents regarding the Transportation Department's response to both the derailment and health emergency that followed, as well as documents related to changes in train maintenance and procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials.
"The infrastructure failure that caused the derailment has led to an environmental disaster," Comer's letter reads. "The Committee is deeply concerned by DOT’s slow pace in resolving this matter."
At least one field hearing is expected to be held in East Palestine so House members can hear from residents in person, Axios reported.
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Biden said on Friday he will not be visiting East Palestine but that he is checking in with his team regularly.
The White House has defended Biden and Buttigieg's responses to the train derailment, calling them "pure politics" and "bad-faith attacks," comparing the situation to derailments under the Trump administration and then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.