Manmade Disaster in Flint, Michigan

Floor Speech

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Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in decrying this manmade disaster that is affecting the residents in the city of Flint, Michigan.

Every day we learn more about how the Governor and Michigan public officials made decisions that sacrificed the health and futures of the Flint residents in order to save a few dollars. That is just plain wrong. The people of Flint deserve better. We cannot stand silent while Americans, while children, are poisoned.

Flint is a majority African American city, and the average household income is just $24,834--that is a year--which is barely half of Michigan's average household income. Would the same decisions have been made had this been in an affluent community? I doubt it.

Earlier today, this House passed the bipartisan Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act, but we can and must do more to prevent this from ever happening again.

Our response must be comprehensive and urgent. It is a state of emergency that requires Members of Congress to find all of the Federal resources possible to demonstrate that we are really and truly our brothers' and sisters' keeper.

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