A decision about whether to invite Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to testify in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee could come within two days, the top Democrat on the committee said.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., told the Washington Examiner that those waiting to learn if Snyder will come in front of Congress would know “in 48 hours.”
Snyder was invited to speak in front of the House Democratic Policy and Steering Committee Wednesday afternoon, but declined. He was in Michigan instead, presenting his state budget to state lawmakers.
Democrats on House Oversight wanted Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz to bring Snyder before the committee on Feb. 3, but Chaffetz declined.
Snyder has been under pressure in recent months for his government’s response to the lead water crisis in Flint, Mich.
In April 2014, Flint switched its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which draws water from Lake Huron, to a local agency that also would take water from the lake.
However, the infrastructure needed to get water from Lake Huron to Flint under the new agency was not yet built, so an emergency manager appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder decided to take water from the Flint River as a temporary measure.
The water from the Flint River is so polluted and acidic that the water ate away at the lead pipes bringing water to the city’s homes.
Emails released by Snyder show that the response by bureaucrats was slow despite being notified of the crisis as early as February 2015. Officals didn’t begin taking measures to fix the problem until October 2015.
Cummings told the Examiner last week that House Speaker Paul Ryan’s office was involved in the discussions about whether to haul Snyder before Congress. On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she hasn’t pressed him on the issue.
“The speaker is very respectful of the committee process and through the committee they are asking for the governor to come,” she said.
Snyder spokesman Dave Murray declined to answer if the governor would come before Congress if called by House Oversight.
“That’s a hypothetical question,” Murray said. “We have not been invited to appear before any full, bipartisan committee.”
