Staff from multiple federal agencies responding to the train derailment in East Palestine went “door to door” to reach families in the village this weekend, according to a White House official, as the removal of thousands of gallons of toxic waste resumed on Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • Staff from multiple federal agencies responding to the train derailment in East Palestine went “door to door” to reach families in the village this weekend, according to a White House official

  • Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were estimated to have visited 400 households as of Monday

  • Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for what they say was delayed federal attention to the East Palestine crash and the potential health impacts on the community

  • House Republicans have also indicated they plan to launch investigations into the derailment and the Biden administration’s response; multiple committees have requested information from the administration

Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were estimated to have reached 400 households as of Monday, the official said.

They handed out flyers detailing resources and conducted health surveys.

The EPA first arrived in East Palestine the morning after rail operator Norfolk Southern reported that 11 cars carrying toxic chemicals had derailed on Feb. 3. Last week, administrator Michael Regan ordered Norfolk Southern to cover all cleanup costs at the site.

This weekend, EPA Region 5 administrator Debra Shore said cleanup operations would pause as her agency implements a review of Norfolk Southern’s process and waste disposal locations. Those efforts were set to resume Monday.

More than 100,000 gallons of liquid waste and 4,500 cubic yards of solid waste from the site need to be disposed of, according to the Ohio governor’s office, not including the additional waste being generated from ongoing cleanup.

The CDC first announced it would send staff at the governor’s request on Feb. 16, and FEMA announced the same the following day.

Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for what they say was delayed federal attention to the East Palestine crash and the potential health impacts on the community.

In a visit last week, former president Donald Trump told the community that their “goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal” and called for “answers” from the federal government.

House Republicans have also indicated they plan to launch investigations into the derailment and the Biden administration’s response.

In a letter to Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg on Friday, House oversight chairman James Comer, R-Ky., requesting documents and saying the committee was “deeply concerned by DOT’s slow pace” in responding to East Palestine.

Buttigieg visited the area last Thursday after questions about why he hadn’t sooner. Biden administration officials have pointed to the EPA’s immediate response hours after the crash and the speedy opening of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

President Biden also said last week he does not have plans to visit the site. But he said he had checked in with local officials, Ohio and Pennsylvania governors and the leaders of federal agencies on the ground.

Biden last received a briefing on Friday from Sec. Buttigieg, Administrator Regan, the FEMA administrator and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.