Mike Pence is siding with wealthy donors over victims of the East Palestine, Ohio, rail disaster, earning a cacophony of outrage from conservatives and prominent MAGA voices.
Pence, who like Democrats reflexively opposes Trump on issue after issue as he woos establishment corporate donors to enrich himself through his non-profit and stake a claim in the narrowing establishment lane for the 2028 Republican nomination, is fighting a bill first championed by then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance — and Pence’s likely 2028 primary opponent — to implement safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials.
Those regulations could have prevented the toxic spill that upended the lives of thousands in the East Palestine area after the 2023 train derailment.
The Daily Wire reports:
One of the groups opposing the bill is Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom — a fact seen as a net positive by those in Trump world who want the bill to finally advance. If the former vice president opposes something, it only makes it more of a priority for Trump’s White House, one senior official told The Daily Wire.
“Anyone that wants the Trump administration to support a piece of legislation should pay Mike Pence’s think tank and its lobbying arm to oppose it,” the senior White House official told The Daily Wire.
Advancing American Freedom, along with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, organized a group of think tank leaders who wrote to Congress on January 29 opposing the inclusion of the Railway Safety Act “in any surface transportation reauthorization legislation.”
In the aftermath of the disaster, Sen. Vance and candidate Donald Trump emerged as the greatest champions for East Palestine.
Vance quickly introduced legislation addressing the issue, quickly earning bipartisan support despite pushback from industry groups and their lobbyists. The bill still has not become law, with this week marking three years since the derailment.
And while a feeble President Biden, whose team limited his exposure through public events, did not visit East Palestine until a year after the disaster, candidate Donald Trump visited the small Ohio town less than three weeks after the derailment, promising action and accountability for those responsible.
By ignoring the people of East Palestine, Pence, who has said Trump should “never be president of the United States again,” is proving to have more in common with Biden than a hatred of Trump. And conservatives were quick to berate the career politician for his callousness, lack of principles, and prioritization of personal political positioning over the people of East Palestine.
“No one is surprised that Mike Pence is opposing the Trump/Vance administration,” popular MAGA personality ALX posted. “So telling.”
Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project that advocates for conservative solutions for many social issues Pence once championed, also suggested Pence is choosing never-Trumpness over principles.
“Of course Mike Pence is the person trying to prevent the Trump administration from delivering justice for people in East Palestine. Of course,” he posted.
Ned Ryun, CEO of American Majority, a conservative grassroots group, was more direct.
“I realize Pence is a bit Trump deranged, but seriously, why is he trying to stop the Trump admin from delivering for the poor people in East Palestine after that train explosion? Like what on earth would possess him to do that?? Oh, right. Because TDS is an incurable disease that makes people do insane things,” he posted.
Jack Posobiec, Senior Editor of Human Events and a popular MAGA figure, called Pence’s actions “despicable.”
“The Trump admin is still fighting for East Palestine 3 years after the train explosion and you will never guess who is trying to undermine their efforts: Mike Pence,” he posted.
David Freeman used his popular X account Gunther Eagleman to accuse Pence of selling out to lobbyists.
“THREE YEARS after the toxic TRAIN DISASTER in East Palestine that poisoned American families… MIKE PENCE and his globalist think tank are now LEADING the charge to BLOCK Trump’s rail safety bill! Never Trump RINOs NEVER change, they ALWAYS sell out hardworking Americans to Big Rail lobbyists,” he posted. “Trump and JD Vance are fighting for Americans, Pence is fighting AGAINST Americans. Disgraceful. Traitorous. EXACTLY why we dumped him.”
The battle for the Railway Safety Act continues on Capitol Hill, and Trump and Vance remain steadfast supporters. Time will tell if Congress sides with the innocent people of East Palestine or Pence and the cabal of corporate lobbyists fighting for the dangerous but lucrative status quo.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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