On the recordFebruary 3, 2016
I thank my colleague for conducting this Special Order and raising attention to this situation. Particularly on behalf of the people that I represent, the 100,000 people in my hometown of Flint, as difficult as this time has been, they do get some strength from the fact that Members of Congress from all across the country and, frankly, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have expressed their concern. It is my sincere hope that the concern expressed for the people of Flint will not just come in the form of sympathy, but will actually move us to take action. Let me just take a moment to tell you about my hometown. This is a city that was the birthplace of General Motors in 1908. This is a city that actually helped build the labor movement. In 1936 and 1937, the workers in the factories occupied those factories until, on February 11, they got that first UAW contract that actually helped build the middle class. The reason I mention that is that it is a city that has great pride in the contribution that it has made over the decades to the incredible productive capacity of our society. With that pride as a backdrop, the last few decades have been really tough because we have seen the loss of manufacturing jobs. We have seen big changes in our economy. The community has become smaller. It has gone from 200,000 people to about 100,000 now.…
