Sadly and infuriatingly, this does not surprise me one bit. The Biden Administration with FEMA in the lead, lied to the residents of East Palestine, Ohio. They not only lied, they actively IGNORED them and dismissed their valid health concerns. 

After officials burned five tankers containing 115,000 gallons of toxic vinyl chloride over East Palestine, residents were sick and crying out for help.

In September 2023, seven months later, President Biden issued an executive order, sending FEMA executive Jim McPherson to East Palestine to assess the community’s unmet needs.

But new documents from FEMA obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show extensive coordination between FEMA, the White House, the National Security Council, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice, voicing serious concerns about health, toxins and the unmet needs of East Palestine following the train derailment.

But publicly, their message was that there was nothing to those concerns.

Every rational person who watched the news reports about that horrendous train derailment knew there would be health concerns because of the toxins spewed into the air, and spilled onto the ground and into the waterways. There were going to be problems, we all knew it. The residents of East Palestine knew it. Yet the Biden Administration tried gaslighting everyone months later into thinking all would be fine. It wasn’t. 

Remember when the EPA grandly declared the drinking water was safe?

DRINKING EAST PALESTINE WATER: with EPA Administrator Michael Regan & Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (2/21) pic.twitter.com/8fnYYkKZgQ

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) February 22, 2023

They knew then that it wasn’t.

In September 2024, whistleblowers came forward to the Government Accountability Project about their concerns and pointed out that the EPA “scientists,” some of whom were actual Norfolk Southern employees, tested in the wrong locations, were using the wrong equipment, and missed or ignored findings on 50% of the contamination or more, especially around the stream beds.

By failing to remove and replace it with clean soil, they have left a permanent recycling project between the creeks and banks walls, due to storms and weather conditions. The consistently re-contaminated water will also keep flowing through underground passages that spread the chemicals into backyards and basements.  

All while FEMA was privately discussing the burgeoning issues of cancer clusters in the East Palestine area. 

Even worse, FEMA was actively ignoring the very residents they were tasked with assisting. All of which was happening while the Biden Administration was assuring everyone they were engaged in doing everything they can to help the residents of East Palestine, yet turned down Ohio’s request for federal disaster relief. 

The official highlighted four agencies — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Transportation and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — that they said are actively assisting local residents on the ground.

The comments echoed a statement made Thursday by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who said the administration’s priority was the “health and safety of the community.”

DeWine’s office said Thursday that it has been in daily contact with FEMA, but that the agency “continues to tell” the governor that Ohio isn’t eligible for disaster assistance. In response, FEMA said it is coordinating with EPA, HHS and the CDC to support the state.

Thousands and thousands of gallons of toxic vinyl chloride chemicals spewed into the air, water, and ground evidently doesn’t meet FEMA’s definition of disaster. 

In light of this new information, the Biden Administration’s explanation rings hollow. ESPECIALLY given how the CDC responded.

Seriously, the CDC told medical professionals and hospitals in the area to tell residents that all their symptoms were only stress related. 

“No testing or treatment related to a specific chemical exposure is recommended,” it read in part.

“Do not diagnose anything related to chemicals. Don’t do any testing related to chemicals. This is all a stress reaction,” is what Miller says she was told.

Oh that’s just lovely. So, an East Palestine resident goes to the doctor with valid concerns and the CDC has ordered the response to be ‘There, there, it’s just stress (all in your head).’

That goes beyond gaslighting to pure cruelty. 

The FOIA revelations about East Palestine confirm what we’ve known: bureaucratic negligence put lives at risk. Under the prior administration, the EPA buried dioxin test results showing levels 19x above safety thresholds while assuring residents they were “safe.” FEMA’s failure…

— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) May 31, 2025

The list of damage and harm inflicted upon the American people by the Biden Administration keeps growing. They played political games while people suffered. 

The federal response also lacked robust monitoring of the water supply and ignored agency policies in order to burn the harmful chemicals, according to Pacey, allowing East Palestine natives to get “very, very ill.”

The new emails — including batches from FEMA, the EPA, the White House, the National Security Council and the Justice Department, which later settled with Norfolk Southern for $310 million to redress harms to the Ohio community — also show that one year after the chaos admin officials were still discussing the need to develop a “tripwire to identify cancer clusters.”

As for the EPA, FEMA, and CDC employees who will claim they were ‘just doing what they were told,’ you can put a sock in it. Every single one of them had a duty to the health and safety of the resident of East Palestine, Ohio. And they failed. On purpose.  

Fire them all. 

Feature Photo Credit: Original artwork by Victory Girls Darleen Click