Congress left Washington Thursday after failing to pass any legislation that would go toward the eastern Michigan city dealing with a lead water crisis for more than two years.
Flint, Mich., a city of about 100,000 people, has been under a state and federal state of emergency since January due to the lead coming off the city’s water pipes and going into drinking water. The crisis was caused by a state-mandated switch in water sources to the corrosive Flint River, which then ate away at the old lead pipes in the city.
The water now can be used with the help of a filter.
Dozens of House Democrats took to the House floor and criticized Republicans for not moving quicker on legislation to help the city. Among them was Flint’s congressman, Rep. Dan Kildee, who expressed his immense disappointment at the failure to get something done for his constituents.
“Rather than bringing up my bill … that would provide relief for those folks back home who should be able to rely on their federal government when they’re at their hour of greatest need, Republican-led Congress not only recesses, but recesses a day early,” Kildee said.
The bill Kildee referred to is a $760 million bill called the Families of Flint Act.
The bill would require infrastructure repair to replace lead pipes, increase services for families and children exposed to lead-contaminated water such as healthcare and early childhood education, boost economic development assistance programs for Flint businesses, and establish a center to monitor the long-term effects of the crisis.
Kildee and 136 other lawmakers asked House Speaker Paul Ryan to consider the bill before the break, but the House adjourned without discussing it.
Aside from that bill, several pieces of legislation that could help the city have been under consideration in Congress for months, but on Thursday the House and Senate took their final votes and left for a seven-week summer break.
Kildee did manage to get two amendments into the Interior and Environmental Protection Agency funding bill Wednesday night that could help the city.
The amendments would help the city get rid of existing loan burdens quicker and would fund $3 million to help test water coming from a new source when that becomes available.
“It will help my hometown of Flint, but it will also potentially be of value to other communities facing water emergencies,” Kildee said Wednesday of the funding bill.
The appropriations bill had more money for Flint and communities like it, including $6.5 million to help replace lead water pipes and $2.1 billion for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which is more than the Obama administration asked for.
Legislation containing a deal for aid for Flint and cities like it also sits on the Senate floor.
The Water Resources Development Act contains $220 million that would help the city, but has not seen any action since it passed out of committee in April. Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat, said that’s not good enough.
She added that because the crisis was caused by state officials, it’s going to be on their shoulders to fix it until Congress acts.
“It is critical that we get this done soon but it does not take the place of the state government’s need to act and act now,” Stabenow said. “The people of Flint have waited too long.”
