Obama pledges federal support for Flint

“We are praying for you, we are working hard for you and we are absolutely committed to taking the right steps to effectively solve this crisis”, he said.

Snyder, a Republican, asked lawmakers to authorize $28 million in spending on diagnostic tests, health treatment for children and adolescents, replacement of faucets and fixtures in Flint schools and child care centers and a study of the city’s water pipes.

Snyder promised to release his Flint-related emails from 2014 and 2015 on Wednesday.

Obama, meanwhile, said the federal government would support local officials dealing with the water crisis.

He also said, “You deserve accountability”.

“To you, the people of Flint, I say tonight as I have before: I am sorry and I will fix it”, Snyder said. “Most of all, you deserve to know the truth”.

Governor Snyder and other critics have questioned the EPA’s actions.

Mayor Karen Weaver joined Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign on a conference call Tuesday. To the families in Flint it is my responsibility and my commitment to deliver.

Outside where the governor spoke in Lansing, protesters gathered and demanded their governor step down. He said pollution from upstream sources ends up in the rivers, lakes and coastal waters near where most Americans live. She said what’s happened there is an embarrassment.

Tuesday night, the MI governor is expected to address the water issue and lay out his plan to fix the on-going water crisis. “We’re angry. We want something done”.

In 2014, a state-appointed emergency manager approved a switch for Flint from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water to save money. The new water immediately started to corrode pipes as it was much saltier and lead began leaching into the system.

After the switch, residents complained their water looked, smelled and tasted amusing. Customers reported water concerns locally, then reached out to Virginia Tech researchers for independent testing. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will coordinate the federal response to the crisis.

Flint resumed using Detroit water, which comes from Lake Huron, in October. They are part of a larger contingent of Guardsmen who will help distribute bottled water, filters and other supplies to residents.

Moving forward he will allocate millions to help the City of Flint and the people who live there.

HHS said in its release the goal of the federal response will be “to help state and local leaders identify the size and scope of the problem and work with them to make and execute a plan for mitigation of the short- and long-term health effects of lead exposure”.

“She stood her ground despite attempts being made by MDEQ to discredit her findings”, Roy said. “You deserve to know the buck stops here with me”.

The state auditor general and a task force created by Snyder have faulted the Department of Environmental Quality for not requiring Flint to treat the river water for corrosion and belittling the public’s fears. While Vermont Sen. and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called for Snyder’s resignation, the governor gave no indication Tuesday that he will resign with a little less than three years left in his term.

But as both Free Press and Detroit News editors Stephen Henderson and Nolan Finley said during a post-speech commentary on Detroit Public TV, had Snyder demonstrated this level of empathy and determination months ago, perhaps it would not have come to this.