Air Force Two, carrying Vice President J.D. Vance, landed at Youngstown Regional Airport at 11:20 a.m. Monday as part of his trip to East Palestine for the second anniversary of the Norfolk Southern train derailment. Vance was welcomed on the tarmac by local and state leaders, including Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Ohio Attorney General David Yost, and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Accompanied by the Secret Service, Vance and his wife, Usha, greeted a crowd that had gathered to witness his arrival before boarding a motorcade headed to East Palestine.
Having visited the site previously as a senator, Vance’s return includes meetings with Mayor Trent Conaway, city council members, Sen. Bernie Moreno, Gov. Mike DeWine, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Sen. Jon Husted.
Mayor Conaway noted that while progress has been made since the derailment, the community is still recovering.
He plans to update Vance on the village’s status and ongoing efforts. “We hope to get him down to the clean-up site and show the progress that we’re making down there,” Conaway said. “We’re just about ready to wrap that up and then just talk about some of the ongoing things in the village—the park upgrades and some other things we have planned.”
Conaway emphasized that the visit was entirely Vance’s initiative, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to East Palestine. “He wanted to come and see the progress so far after two years and to make sure the village residents and surrounding residents know that he is with us and he’s still here,” Conaway said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) referenced East Palestine at the end of its press conference on Saturday regarding Wednesday’s fatal helicopter-airplane crash in Washington, D.C. Board member Todd Inman criticized the lack of action following the derailment, stating, “We got to East Palestine, a community that gets devastated, still nothing has happened.
We have several recommendations open for aviation. You want to do something about it, adopt a recommendation from NTSB.”
Conaway expressed surprise at the NTSB’s remarks but welcomed their continued attention. “I want to see exactly what they said, but they were instrumental in trying to get some things changed in the railroad industry, and I’m glad they haven’t forgotten us,” he said.
During his visit, Conaway hopes to discuss long-term healthcare services for first responders and residents affected by the derailment. On Friday, he addressed the village’s multi-million dollar settlement with Norfolk Southern and his plans for allocating the funds.
Sen. Bernie Moreno also released a statement ahead of his visit with Vance.
“I couldn’t be prouder to visit East Palestine with Vice President Vance and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the Trump administration to ensure the Ohio residents whose lives were upended two years ago will have the support they need,” Moreno said.
