Dan Kildee: “Well, first of all, let me thank my friend, Mr. Garamendi, not just for that introduction and for his comments about my…”

“Well, first of all, let me thank my friend, Mr. Garamendi, not just for that introduction and for his comments about my hometown, but for his leadership on this issue. This is the critical issue that really determines whether we are competitive as a Nation. But it goes beyond competitiveness. It is the issue that will determine whether we have true national security. But it goes beyond national security. Sometimes it is a matter of life and death. Sometimes it is really a matter of health. In my hometown, the issue of failed infrastructure, particularly of the State of Michigan and their failure to manage infrastructure, let alone reinvest in it potentially, will affect not just 100,000 people, all of the citizens there, but, most importantly, will affect the trajectory of the lives of 9,000 children under the age of 6 who, for the last year and a half, have been drinking water that has elevated lead levels well beyond what normally would be required in order to take drastic action to correct the problem. And it was largely overlooked because of a failed philosophy of government in the State of Michigan that put short-term interest, short-term dollars-and-cents measures of success, ahead of not just long-term investment, but ahead of the lives of children that has resulted in this terrible tragedy. {time} 1930 I will just take a moment to tell you what happened and to support the efforts of my friend Mr. Garamendi in continuing to raise this question.…”