Pete Buttigieg ripped for being 'no-show' in toxic Ohio train derailment: 'Complete disconnect'

close

Video

China dubs US response to sky flight 'hysterical'

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., joined 'Sunday Morning Futures' to discuss the threat China poses to the U.S. and FEMA's response to the Ohio train derailment. 

More than two weeks after the toxic Ohio train derailment, the Biden administration is taking flak for how it has handled the toxic spill after refusing to approve a FEMA disaster declaration. 

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is one of the White House's critics, and he joined "Sunday Morning Futures" to discuss how the administration's handling has indicated a "complete disconnect" from the American people. 

"I think there's a complete disconnect here when you hear the president talking about sending American tax dollars to Ukraine to help pay for their pensions, and he does nothing about the millions of people who stream across our southern border distributing fentanyl, human trafficking and crime across the country," Schmitt told Maria Bartiromo. "It is completely out of touch to not address this."

WHITE HOUSE EXPLAINS WHY IT TURNED DOWN DISASTER RELIEF FOR OHIO

"And Pete Buttigieg was a no-show this week in our committee to talk about FAA problems they had in January with the travel system across the country," he continued. "He's been a no show in Ohio, and so the American people are right to be upset about this. They demand answers. They demand a presence by this administration to know that they're going to take care of these issues."

The Biden administration has said the crisis in East Palestine does not meet legal requirements for a FEMA declaration, even though the agency has deployed resources to the city. 

A man raises his hand with a question for Mayor Trent Conaway during a town hall meeting at East Palestine High School in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The meeting was held to answer questions about the cleanup from the derailment Norfolk Southern freight train derailment on Feb, 3.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

"What East Palestine needs is much more expansive than what FEMA can provide," a Biden administration official told Fox News Digital. "FEMA is on the frontlines when there is a hurricane or tornado. This situation is different."

FEMA sent officials to the town in order to aid in ongoing assessments as residents remain concerned about the air and water quality following the spill. 

HOW TO TELL IF YOU'VE BEEN AFFECTED BY TOXIC CHEMICAL POISONING — AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Water from the city of East Palestine has been tested and is considered safe, but residents using well water have been encouraged to use bottled water. 

And even with hundreds of air samples from homes in the area indicating no present toxins, critics have been quick to note the Biden administration's apparent delayed handling of the chaos. 

Dean Logan, a worker at Pepsi, delivers cases of water for volunteers to distribute to residents on Feb. 17, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio.  (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

"I think it's part and parcel," Schmitt said. "A lot of these folks who claim to be environmentalists don't care much about the environment. They care about climate alarmism to scare people, so they can gather more and more power and control." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

"That's what this is about, but again, the Biden administration and Pete Buttigieg specifically has absolutely failed on this Ohio environmental disaster," he continued. 

The Norfolk Southern Railroad freight train originally derailed on Feb. 3, but it wasn't until three days later that officials conducted a controlled burn of the toxins inside the cars in order to avoid an explosion.

Following the burn, black smoke tainted the community as toxins like vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride and phosgene filled the air.

Fox News' Julia Musto contributed to this report.