Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, this week marks 3 years since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it has been 3 years since toxic chemicals burned in the sky, families were forced from their homes, and a small town became a warning sign for what happens when corporate negligence meets congressional inaction.

For the people of East Palestine, this anniversary is not symbolic. It is personal, and it is ongoing. It is a constant reminder of a Congress who continues to put profits and corporations over people.

From the very beginning, I have shown up for this community. I don't represent East Palestine, Ohio, but within weeks of the derailment, I traveled there. I met with residents. I pressed FEMA, the EPA, the CDC, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Transportation for answers and resources.

I helped secure an EPA order, forcing Norfolk Southern, not taxpayers, to pay for the cleanup and remediation. When families were told that they may be taxed on disaster relief, I fought to change the law and succeeded. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed the East Palestine Tax Relief Act. That is what accountability looks like. That is what results look like.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years later, the most important question remains unanswered. What has Congress done to prevent this from ever happening again to East Palestine or any other American city? The answer is not enough.

That is why this week I am introducing the Railroad Safety and Accountability Act to protect labor and public interest voices in rail safety decisions, voices that Federal regulators have tried to push aside.

That is why I have continued fighting for passage of the bipartisan RAIL Act led by Democrats and Republicans representing Ohio. It is one of the most comprehensive rail safety proposals before Congress.

The bill would require two-person train crews and increased inspections, especially for trains carrying hazardous materials. It would strengthen emergency notification so first responders are not left in the dark. It would raise penalties for safety violations and address the exact equipment failures that caused the East Palestine derailment.

The RAIL Act is supported by rail workers, local governments, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans in and out of Ohio. Yet, for two consecutive Congresses, House Republican leadership has refused to even give the bill a hearing. That is not gridlock. That is a decision and a terrible one at that. It is a decision to put profits over people.

Since the derailment, President Trump, Vice President Vance, members of the Cabinet, and Ohio Republicans have all visited East Palestine, held press conferences, and promised action.

Here is the reality. Mr. Speaker, 3 years later, this Republicans House has not passed a single rail safety law to prevent another East Palestine. It is not even that. It is not just that the law has not passed. There hasn't even been a hearing.

On February 3, 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the following statement: ``In partnership with the Trump-Vance administration and Congress, USDOT will work to advance rail safety. As President Trump has pledged, we will ensure that people of East Palestine are not forgotten, and we will use every resource to prevent other communities from enduring what they experienced.''

During a Transportation and Infrastructure hearing last year, I asked Secretary Duffy directly what concrete steps were being taken to stop another derailment like this one. I asked him directly and specifically had he worked with the chair of the committee to move forward any legislation. His answer was no. Further, he said he talked about it on Fox News before anyone else.

Here is a news flash for Secretary Duffy and House Republicans. Talking on television does not make trains safer. Talking on television does not make our communities safer. Talking on television does not do what East Palestinian residents have asked us to do for over 3 years. Press conferences do not replace legislation, and communities cannot rebuild on empty words.

Meanwhile, large corporations continue to resist stronger national safety rules and real accountability, while pursuing massive corporate expansion and relying on congressional inaction to protect its bottom line.

Monitoring the damage after a disaster matters, but monitoring alone is not prevention. Studying the aftermath is not the same as fixing the cause.

Mr. Speaker, the contrast is clear. I have legislated. I have shown up. I have questioned those in power and refused to let East Palestine be forgotten.

Others have toured the site, issued statements, and moved on, while blocking the very reforms that would keep another town from becoming another headline in a disaster.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years later, East Palestine has heard plenty of promises and many pledges, but Congress and the administration have not delivered the safety laws to stop the next disaster.

Mr. Speaker, East Palestine deserves action. America deserves action. We deserve accountability. We deserve a Congress that puts people over profits, and I will keep fighting until that happens.

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