Ohio Sen. JD Vance has criticised “establishment Republicans” for defending the “railroad lobby” against his bipartisan railway safety bill, instituted in the wake of the East Palestine disaster.
Vance, along with fellow Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, and Sens. Rubio, Hawley, Casey, and Fetterman, introduced legislation known as the Railway Safety Act of 2023, which would enhance safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, and increase fines for railway operators and support for communities in the wake of any chemical disasters.
Despite the bipartisan support, Republicans such as Ted Cruz have decided not to back the legislation. Speaking in the Senate, Cruz claimed the bill would somehow allow restrictions on coal and natural gas, and other “essential commodities,” and hike up the price of “everything from industrial chemicals to orange juice.”
Speaking to Steve Bannon on his War Room show, Vance attacked the “establishment Republicans,” like Cruz, who have “come out and defended the railroad lobby in the wake of this legislation.”
“It’s ridiculous to me. You hear this phrase Steve, you hear this slogan: go woke, go broke, right? If the railroad industry has gone broke, and it has, if it’s setting off chemical bombs in our communities, and it has, isn’t it the job of the servants of the people to make them pay up a little?” Vance argued. “That’s all this is about. It’s plain and simple.”
Senator @JDVance1 Calling Out Establishment Republicans For Opposing His Bill To Hold The Railroad Industry Accountable And Prevent Another East Palestine Disaster
"There are a lot of Establishment Republicans, I hate to say it, even Ted Cruz has come out and defended the… pic.twitter.com/PZjbANJTwk
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) May 10, 2023
The legislation was introduced in the wake of the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, when a train carrying vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals derailed, resulting in fires and a massive plume of black smoke that lasted for numerous days and could be seen from several miles around.
Emergency crews later decided to conduct a “controlled burn,” designed to prevent a larger explosion, that instead resulted in more hydrogen chloride and toxic substances like phosgene to be released into the surrounding area. Everyone within a mile radius of the crash was forced to evacuate.
Vance’s Railway Safety Act, despite being rejected by “establishment Republicans,” has received the backing of 45th President Donald Trump, who said it was “so important” for Congress to pass the bill, to make sure “nothing like this EVER happens again.”
Joe Biden has still yet to visit East Palestine, having snubbed the local disaster to visit Ukraine instead. “Crooked Joe Biden has still not visited the incredible Patriots of East Palestine, and Mayor Pete couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” Trump added. “But that’s ok – our movement will be their voice, and we will NEVER forget them.”
Must Watch
Senator @JDVance1's Full Testimony At Senate Hearing On The Norfolk Southern Derailment In East Palestine, Ohio
Senator Vance Responding To People Claiming His Legislation Violates The "Free Market":
"This is an industry that enjoys special subsidies that almost no… pic.twitter.com/vjIV9xi6n5
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 9, 2023
