Washington Week: Focus on Scandals and Tragedies

May 26, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama visits a town devastated by a killer tornado and federal investigations continue into the cause of a major bridge collapse in Washington State and a freight train collision in Missouri. Congress is not in session this week so investigations into recent scandals continue to dominate the Washington political agenda.

President Obama traveled Sunday to Moore, Oklahoma to meet with and console residents of the midwestern town devastated by a tornado that killed 24 people and injured more than 200 others. The president has pledged $3.4 million in federal aid to help the town rebuild.

“This is a strong community, with strong character. There is no doubt they are going to bounce back, but they need help. Just like any of us would need help if we saw the kind of devastation that we are seeing here," he said.

Investigators are looking into the cause of two major transportation accidents in the United States - the collapse of a major road bridge in Washington state and a freight train collision in rural Missouri that caused the collapse of a highway overpass. Robert Sumwalt is a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

“Anytime we have something like that, we are very concerned about it. That is why we are here. We are here to find out what happened so we can learn from it and keep it from happening again," he said.