Flint Water Crisis Drawing Congressional Crowd
U.S. Reps from MI, OH and TX visit Flint this weekend as city deals with tainted water. Hillary Clinton plans visit too.
The Flint River in downtown Flint.
The continuing crisis over contaminated water in Flint is drawing several members of Congress, and at least one presidential candidate, to the city this weekend.
Flint has become a national topic – some say a national public health disaster – after the city temporarily switched to using its river as a water source without treating it for corrosion.
That allowed lead and other metals to leach into the water supply.
Many residents reported increased health problems after the switch and pediatricians have found elevated levels of lead in the blood of some children living in Flint.
Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee, who represents Flint, has long raised concerns about the city’s water.
Now Kildee will lead a congressional delegation meeting with families in Flint.
The group includes U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell, Sander Levin and Brenda Lawrence from Michigan, as well as Texas Congresswoman Shiela Jackson Lee and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio.
Former Secretary of State and current Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she will make a detour from the campaign trail to visit Flint and push for Congress to approve $600 million in federal funding for the city.
Michigan Congressman Fred Upton chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees laws governing the nation’s drinking water supply.
He says he will hold a hearing next month on the Flint crisis.
