Dan Kildee: “I thank the ranking member and the chairman of the committee and subcommittee for their work on this very important…”

“I thank the ranking member and the chairman of the committee and subcommittee for their work on this very important issue. This en bloc amendment includes two amendments that I offered that would provide specific relief to my hometown. Many of you have heard me on the floor of this House talk about the incredible challenge that my hometown of Flint, Michigan, faces. Through no fault of its own, during a time when a State-appointed emergency manager was literally running every aspect of city government, a terrible decision, a thoughtless and really not science- based decision was made to use river water to replace water from the Great Lakes as the drinking water source. That decision caused a series of events that led to lead leaching into the water and, quite literally, poisoning a city of 100,000 people. The impact of this event will be long felt in my hometown. We all have an obligation. Even though the principal responsibility lies with the State, we all have an obligation to contribute to the efforts that this city will painfully go through in order to recover. The amendments within this en bloc amendment that I offered will help.…”