Congressional Progressive Caucus: the Flint, Michigan, Water Crisis

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARKE of New York. Madam Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I thank Mrs. Watson Coleman for her leadership, and I stand with my colleagues from the Michigan delegation and our colleagues throughout this House in our outrage over what has occurred and the pursuit of justice for the people of Flint.

As a New Yorker, I say to myself: There, but for the grace of God, go I. We, too, in New York City faced a lead crisis when callous landlords did nothing to abate lead paint in their older housing stock. A crisis that impacted untold numbers of young New Yorkers remains with us to this very day. But then, that was the private sector. Who will speak for the marginalized and disenfranchised that depended on the State leadership of the Governor, Mr. Snyder, and his team to keep them safe from harm?

The decision of the State of Michigan to change the source of water for the sake of saving money showed an utter disregard for the well- being of the people of Flint. It is a national disgrace. It is a national tragedy. This callous disregard for the poor and the vulnerable leaves us all culpable for what has happened in our Nation.

The timeline of events is especially unnerving. The source of Flint's water was changed in April of 2014. For nearly 1 year, complaints about the water quality were ignored by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

It took the EPA one series of tests to determine that the water was unusable, just one series of tests. And we know, as a result of that, that this water was definitely unsafe for human consumption.

The result is babies, children, nursing mothers, the elderly, some with compromised immune systems and health, were poisoned by their own government.

Access to clean water and clean air are fundamental human rights. The State of Michigan has failed the people of Flint. Its State leadership has demonstrated a contempt and marginalization of the humanity of her people.

Who will speak for the marginalized and disenfranchised of the callous disregard for the poor and the most vulnerable?

Well, tonight and every night across this Nation Americans are standing up to say that this cannot be tolerated, that justice is due, that we have to speak out for the vulnerable communities, often minority and impoverished, that are victims of environmental injustice.

We must stand firm in our resolve to see that the people of Flint are dealt with in a humane manner, that their lives are enhanced by a quick remedy to what they are currently experiencing.

The malaise, the laid-back way in which people--in particular, the Governor and his administration--are dealing with this crisis leaves all of us uneasy.

You have heard from my colleagues this evening about the impact of lead on the brains of developing children. You have heard about how lead impacts the health of those with compromised immune systems.

We are also hearing about other contagions within the waters of the Flint River maybe even being tied to Legionnaires' disease. We will continue to see health crises emerge as more and more is discovered about actually what is in the Flint River.

We have also been told that the level of lead within this water is so over the top that the filtration systems that have been given to the people are no longer capable of providing them with a safe source of water.

So it is now up to Governor Snyder to do right by his own people, to stand up and to do what is right by the people of Flint, Michigan. The effects of what has taken place in Flint will be effects that will be felt and experienced by the people of Flint, Michigan, now and into the years to come.

It is our sincere hope that the Governor and his team will do right by the people of Flint, Michigan, and, by extension, the people of the United States by moving swiftly to apply the resources of Michigan to the mitigation of this problem as well as to make sure that every life, every soul, that has been impacted by the poisonous water that they have consumed will be taken care of today and for the rest of their lives.

So I thank Bonnie Watson Coleman for her leadership this evening. I thank all of my colleagues for standing up, for speaking out, for being consistent, in demanding that this Governor do right by his people, that he come out with a plan immediately to direct the resources needed to fix this problem, and to address the illness that is ultimately going to be a part of the lives of a significant portion of this population for the rest of their lives. It is the right thing to do.

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