Val Demings: “Violating civil rights or the perception of violating civil rights is an issue that we cannot ignore.”

But we`ve got to come together, as I said, at the local and state level. We`ve got to join the federal partners, and deal with this issue, particularly in the state of Florida.

We are fighting, as my friend and former colleague John Lewis said, for the very soul of our nation.

How do we fix that, how do we make that right, and how do we make sure that every community... will have access to quality drinking water?

I am proud to have partnered with Chairman Thompson on the FEMA Equity Act to address these flaws in our Federal emergency management system.