Well, would you look at that—more damning proof that the Biden administration’s idea of “helping” working-class Americans is all smoke, mirrors, and toxic fumes. Literally.
After nearly a year and a half of gaslighting the people of East Palestine, Ohio, new emails now confirm what anyone with a functioning sense of smell and common sense suspected from day one: this administration knew there were cancer-causing toxins in the air, water, and soil—and they did what they do best. They lied, stalled, and then blamed someone else.
James McPherson, FEMA’s recovery leader, finally spilled the beans in March 2024—more than a year after the disaster. He casually mentioned in an internal email that the odds of a “cancer cluster” in East Palestine are “not zero.” Oh, good. That’s comforting. Nothing screams leadership like quietly admitting, after a year of denial, that people might end up with terminal illnesses because your administration decided “optics” were more important than action.
Horrific. Those responsible must be held criminally accountable. The residents of East Palestine deserve comprehensive, long-term medical support—modeled after the PACT Act. It’s time we finally enter an era where, when our own are failed by the government, we step up and take… https://t.co/7Dz5dHdAkD
— Sarah Adams (@TPASarah) June 1, 2025
Let’s rewind. February 2023: a train derails and unleashes a cocktail of hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, straight into the environment. The response? Instead of evacuating with urgency and launching an all-hands-on-deck emergency response, the administration puts on a show. EPA administrator Michael Regan trots in weeks later with a film crew, performs his “look at me drink the water” stunt, and then assures everyone everything is fine. Who knew public health was a Broadway production?
And then there’s Biden. Oh yes, President Empathy himself. He managed to scold the big, bad rail companies (who donated to his party, by the way) and still had the audacity to pat himself on the back for “herculean efforts” while families watched their pets drop dead and their kids break out in rashes. He even compared the disaster to the loss of his son, Beau, and once again trotted out the bizarre, unverified story about having cancer because of oil refineries. And we’re supposed to take that as leadership?
Now we’re finding out that the administration delayed testing for dioxins—one of the worst toxins you can be exposed to—and when they finally got around to it, they used Norfolk Southern’s own contractors with faulty equipment. That’s like asking the arsonist to inspect the fire damage. Lesley Pacey from the Government Accountability Project said it best: they weren’t trying to protect public health, they were trying to protect public relations. And guess what? They failed at both.
Let’s not ignore the cherry on top: ASPECT planes, those advanced aircraft that could’ve monitored air quality in real time, weren’t deployed until four days after the disaster because of “bad weather.” What, was it too cloudy to care about public safety? In a situation that demanded immediate action, the federal government hit snooze, and the people of East Palestine are still paying the price.
🚨BREAKING: Newly uncovered emails reveal the Biden Administration deliberately covered up the health risks from the East Palestine train derailment.
They knew about the “cancer clusters” but told the public there was nothing to worry about. pic.twitter.com/A6pffY3nCH
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 31, 2025
And after all this bungling, what does the administration do? Settle with Norfolk Southern for $310 million. Great. That’ll probably cover a few lawsuits and some new lawn signs. Meanwhile, families in Ohio have to live with the haunting question: how many years did this catastrophe shave off their lives? And will anyone in Washington be held accountable?
Don’t hold your breath—unless, of course, you live in East Palestine. Then again, you probably don’t want to breathe at all.
