Trump pledges $10 million to East Palestine to help with economic recovery from train derailment

President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration is giving East Palestine, Ohio, a $10 million grant to help the town recover economically from a toxic train derailment that took place three years ago.

The grant comes after the National Institutes of Health opened the East Palestine Train Derailment Health Research Program Office earlier this month to study the long-term health effects of the derailment.

A Norfolk Southern train transporting the toxic chemical, vinyl chloride, unexpectedly derailed in 2023, after a hot railcar wheel bearing sparked a fire. The derailment forced 38 train cars off the tracks, 11 of which were carrying the hazardous material, and caused a major environmental disaster that impacted thousands of residents in the surrounding area.

Trump said that the $10 million grant is in addition to the NIH office and study, which is also projected to cost $10 million. 

"To the Great People of East Palestine, Ohio, who were disgracefully betrayed and forgotten about by Crooked Joe Biden, 'TRUMP' has never forgotten about you, and never will," he wrote on Truth Social. "We want to see East Palestine grow, flourish, and be able to take advantage of our now booming economy. It was horrible what was allowed to happen there, and we are with you for the long haul."