Senators reach tentative deal on Flint water crisis aid

Flint, the MI city known for the high lead levels in its drinking water, will also soon begin playing a regular role in how the federal government measures inflation.

Under the deal, Flint would also have access to $70 million in a credit subsidy under a federal program called the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority, or WIFIA.

Elevated levels of lead have been found in some children’s blood. “The media’s attention to Flint has put a spotlight on the crisis we face across the nation due to a failure to address aging water infrastructure”, Inhofe said, while criticizing the Obama administration for not dedicating more funding to low-interest loan funds to address old water systems. While finding cost savings to the taxpayers should always be an important consideration for those serving in government, doing so must never come at the expense of Americans’ health.

Snyder has agreed to testify to Congress about the Flint crisis. I want to thank Reps.

Senators James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, and Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, struck a deal that would direct up to $100 million to Michigan from a federal revolving loan fund for state water infrastructure, an aide to Inhofe said. It also provides funding for a committee to review federal efforts related to lead poisoning and appropriates $10 million each to the Centers for Disease Control’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Healthy Homes Program and the federal Healthy Start Initiative for childhood development. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems.

Flint’s mayor believes a U.S. Senate deal could free up federal money to pay to remove the city’s lead service lines.

Democrats blame Michigan’s Republican governor, Rick Snyder, and other state officials for a cost-cutting move that resulted in a public health emergency caused by lead-contaminated water.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.