U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blames the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on the rail industry. The issue at hand is whether or not cost-cutting measures resulted in lowering work and safety standards of the rail industry. Buttigieg said, “Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people. We at USDOT are doing everything in our power to improve rail safety, and we insist that the rail industry do the same – while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar.”
