Political Quotes

“Well, to answer the Senator's question, I have been working aggressively and constructively with the Senators from Michigan to try to figure out how we can provide for a level of response. I do not doubt the anxiety and urgency the people in Flint must feel. This is a difficult situation to be in, and it is not a situation that any of us would want any of our constituents to be in. I think there is an imperative from those who are seeking this assistance that--given that there is a Federal role, how can we help to facilitate the appropriate response on the Federal side? If there is a way to help expedite funding to move toward a solution, I think that is appropriate. I think the Senator's question is, Are we jumping ahead here if we do not know how much? I think it is fair to say that the original estimates were based on the disaster declaration the State had requested. I think it is going to be critical that we understand what the costs will be, and hopefully we will learn about that next week. I know they have been working aggressively to determine that. We also need to know what the spend plan is because we saw what happened with the stimulus. You can almost get too much money--if that is possible--going in, and you cannot spend it in the way it is best needed.…”