Political Quotes

“I rise today to speak in support of the Stabenow-Peters amendment package that will provide much needed assistance to Flint, MI. For decades Flint was known as the birthplace of General Motors and for playing a key role in the formation of the United Auto Workers. Now national attention is trained on Flint not for its role in the creation of America's middle class but for the utter abandonment by the State government of a city where 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Nearly 2 years ago, an unelected emergency manager appointed by Michigan's Governor changed the city of Flint's water source to the Flint River in an attempt to save money while the city prepared to transition to a new regional water authority. The ultimate cost of this misguided, dangerous decision will not be known for decades. After switching away from clean water sourced from the Detroit Water Authority, Flint residents began to receive improperly treated Flint River water, long known to be contaminated and potentially very corrosive. Water poured from Flint faucets and tasted and smelled terrible. It was discolored--brown or yellow in many cases. In fact, General Motors stopped using this water source for their Flint engine operations because the high chloride levels were corroding parts used during the manufacturing process. The result of the State government decision was--and continues to be--catastrophic.…”