'Anything they need is available," Biden tells ABC's Muir about East Palestine
Defending his administration's response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Biden told ABC News anchor David Muir on Friday that he's "made it clear" to officials on the ground that "anything they need, we'll make it available to them."
In an exclusive interview at the White House, Muir asked Biden for his response to the East Palestine mayor, who called it a "slap in the face" that Biden traveled to Ukraine while his town felt forgotten in the weeks after the crisis. (He later said he would welcome a Biden visit).
"Let's put this in perspective. Within two hours of that derailment, the EPA was in there. Within two hours. Every major agency in the United States government that had anything to do rail and/or cleanup was there, and is there," Biden said.
"In addition to that, I've spoken at length to the congresspersons, the governors, the senators from both states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. And I've made it clear to them anything they need is available or -- we'll make it available to them," he said.
Asked if he's spoken to the mayor, Trent Conaway, Biden said he couldn't recall. But according to a timeline shared by the White House Friday evening, Biden's team has attempted to reach the mayor by phone four times since Feb. 6.
Biden called for "full blown inspection of all the homes" and free housing for everyone in the near vicinity of the derailment, paid for by the railroad, during the clean-up. Biden also said the railroad should fully inspect the houses afterward and if they're not in "good enough shape," tear them down and compensate people to find a new home.
"Whatever happens here, we've got to understand it's the responsibility of the railroad company -- which has made, by the way, tens of billions of dollars in profits -- tens of billions of dollars of profits," Biden said.
He said he had directed officials on the ground to launch a door-to-door campaign this weekend, checking in with residents about their needs.
A White House official confirmed the team would reach 400 homes by Monday and be led by a combination of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency.
"So, there's a lot more to do, but we're there to the end to make sure it's done," Biden said.
Norfolk Southern has given all residents a $1,000 "inconvenience check" and committed $5.6 million to East Palestine.
Norfolk Southern touted additional donations to the community of East Palestine Friday, announcing $300,0000 for the school district "without condition" three weeks after its train derailed in the community.
The company said it is also reimbursing the fire department roughly $825,000 for its equipment.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has promised to restore the site.
“From day one, I’ve made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site, we’re going to do continuous long-term air and water monitoring, we’re going to help the residents of this community recover, and we’re going to invest in the long-term health of this community. And we’re going to make Norfolk Southern a safer railroad," he said.
For more from Muir's interview with President Biden, watch ABC's "World News Tonight with David Muir" at 6:30 p.m. ET.
