Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment is something, obviously, I have been working on for some time. It would bring urgently needed aid to my hometown of Flint, Michigan. For over a year, the Flint water crisis has been public, and we have not yet been able to act here in Congress. It has been even longer since the residents of Flint have been drinking or using water that is basically poisoned with lead--2 full years. To be clear, what happened in Flint was a failure of government at every level of government. Through this amendment, Congress can take its rightful place in fulfilling its obligation and its responsibility to help my hometown recover. The amendment would authorize $170 million to restore the safety of water infrastructure in communities like my hometown of Flint that have lead in their water. More importantly, it would create a concrete commitment from both bodies of Congress to get aid for my hometown to the President's desk. The Senate passed similar legislation by a vote of 95-3. This amendment would ensure that the House also supports communities like Flint that are suffering with this terrible problem. We have just waited an awful long time for this. We have worked very hard to get this amendment in a bipartisan fashion to the floor. I want to thank all my friends, but particularly Mr. Moolenaar, who cosponsors this amendment with me. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”