WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday,  calling on Norfolk Southern’s CEO to testify under oath before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee about the train derailment in East Palestine.

Echoing a declaration made by National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, the Democrat said that accident has been deemed “one hundred percent preventable”.

 “Mr. Shaw should be transparent, forthright, and he should not duck but instead testify before America, before the Senate, as soon as possible,” Schumer told fellow Senators.

Accusing the railroad of pushing the federal government and Trump administration to repeal safety regulations, Schumer also said that CEO Shaw should explain why Norfolk Southern laid off thousands of workers while reporting more than $3 billion in profits last year.

Schumer also criticized the railroad for launching a ten billion dollar stock buyback program last year instead of using the money to upgrade safety equipment, or hiring more workers.

“Disasters like the one in East Palestine are precisely what can happen when safety takes a backseat to maximizing profits,” said Schumer. “It’s a pattern that has played out to devastating effect over the years: corporate interests lobby the government to loosen safety rules, then they cut costs, cut workers, reward shareholders, and sooner or later, disaster strikes.”

The Democrat also took a shot at former President Donald Trump, accusing him of doing “the bidding of special interests” by loosening railroad regulations, then pointing the finger at someone else “when something terrible happens.”

The former President visited the derailment site last week, saying the Biden White House had no intention of doing anything for the village still recovering from the chemical spill and fire.

Trump’s fellow Republicans have criticized Biden for not visiting East Palestine.

Valley Congressman Bill Johnson joined the House Republican Leadership on Tuesday to announce that the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials, which he chairs, will hold a hearing on the response by the EPA on March 28, 2023.

The White House says that federal officials responded just hours after learning about the crisis.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has inspected the site.  EPA Director Michael Regan has been in the village three times, with the most recent visit on Tuesday.