On September 28th, Congressman Dan Kildee secured a pathway forward for federal funding to address the drinking water health crisis in Flint, Michigan through an amendment in the House’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
The Michigan delegation, with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had pushed hard to add emergency assistance to Flint as part of the pending negotiations over the must-pass Continuing Resolution. Their efforts were thwarted by the Republican leadership who insisted that the aid be advanced instead through the Water Resources Development Act, resulting in the House Leadership allowing a vote on the Kildee amendment to proceed. Action on WRDA and the final disposition of the Flint funding will now not be resolved until the lame duck session.
In response, Melinda Pierce, Legislative Director for the Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“We applaud Congressman Kildee’s efforts to secure a vote today to advance desperately needed federal funding to address the drinking water and public health crisis in Flint. However, we are appalled that the Republican Leadership would block the emergency Flint aid from the Continuing Resolution (CR), which would be fastest vehicle for federal funding.
“The people of Flint have been waiting for two years for relief from this nightmare, and today’s action, while important, means that Flint must continue to wait when it shouldn’t have to. The WRDA bill is far from the finish line and will now not be resolved until the lame duck session. In the meantime, the people who desperately need action on this issue are being told to wait again, as more time is added to their suffering.”
Enviroshop is maintained by dedicated NetSys Interactive Inc. owners & employees who generously contribute their time to maintenance & editing, web design, custom programming, & website hosting for Enviroshop.