Rashida Tlaib: “We can't build back better without replacing every inch of lead service line in our country. In too many of our…”

“We can't build back better without replacing every inch of lead service line in our country. In too many of our communities from Flint to Benton Harbor to the cities of Wayne and Hamtramck and across the State of Michigan and our Nation, the water is poisoned with lead. We have an opportunity now to change it, with a bold and clear investment to replace every single lead-contaminated service line in our Nation. Experts have already estimated that we need $60 billion to replace every service lead pipeline in America. But we know the Senate proposal--which was negotiated without a shred of input from frontline communities or their representatives--only devotes $15 billion. That is just simply not enough. People are drinking water with lead now, and we know which communities lose out when there isn't enough money to go around. They are communities that look like mine. It is environmental justice neighborhoods. We must--we must--do more, and we already have secured another $30 billion in Build Back Better to get us closer to our goal. Again, a clear way to bring us all together is making sure that we all have access to clean water. There are 2.65 million service lines in Michigan, and over 12 percent of those lines are contaminated with lead. To replace these lead pipes in Michigan alone, it would cost $1.65 billion. Again, I ask everyone, how can we build back better when children are being poisoned?…”