Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) says a “version” of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) could help the workers and businesses in East Palestine, Ohio, who were affected by a derailed train carrying chemicals.
The newly minted Ohio Republican senator recently said in a recent Washington Post opinion piece that the federal government and Norfolk Southern Railway could help “not just tomorrow but months from now” if there is an investment in the community.
“Without special refinancing, homeowners will be underwater as flight from the community drives home prices lower, decimating the tax base on which local schools and public services rely,” Vance wrote. “Farms will require direct support. Underfunded schools will need help.”
“East Palestine will need its own version of the Paycheck Protection Program to protect workers and businesses who lost their livelihoods because of the decisions of others,” he added. “Otherwise, an entire town of good people will suffer mightily through no fault of their own.”
The Buckeye State Republican also noted in an op-ed over the weekend that East Palestine only has about 5,000 people in the northeast area of Ohio. He explained that the town’s median income is $44,498, and 71 percent of its voters supported Donald Trump in 2020.
Vance argued that the town — in addition to the derailed train — has already “suffered substantially from the wave of deindustrialization that saw millions of jobs leave for China, Mexico and other countries.”
As Breitbart News reported earlier this month, a train operated by Norfolk Southern carrying dangerous chemicals derailed and spilled the chemicals February 3. Cleanup crews ignited five train cars to get rid of toxic chemicals in a controlled environment. The fire created a thick billowing smoke in the sky that resembled a mushroom cloud.
Immediately after the derailment, Ohio’s politicians — like Vance — sprung into action. However, President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were nowhere to be found. Just one day after former President Donald Trump visited, Buttigieg finally visited.
Trump, who announced another bid for the White House earlier this year, visited the town to deliver truckloads of bottled water in addition to buying food for the police and fire departments, as well as everyone who was in an East Palestine McDonald’s following remarks he made to the small town.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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