President Obama reassured the people of MI that he’s “got Flint’s back” Wednesday, during a visit with representatives from Detroit’s auto industry.
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“After visiting auto plants across the Midwest and seeing what you have done firsthand, let me tell you, I would make that same bet any day of the week because today factories are humming, business is booming, the American auto industry is all the way back”.
It also blocks the Securities and Exchange Commission from using funds to issue new rules requiring pubic companies to disclose political donations or the IRS from creating new rules on 501(c)(4) groups’ political spending as part of an end-of-the-year spending bill. The president traveled to the state Wednesday to look into what led to the contaminated water problem that plagues the Genessee County city, according to the White House. Blame is swirling after a switch in the water supply to the city north of Detroit led to elevated levels of lead in drinking water.
“It is a reminder that we can’t short-change the basic services we provide to our people”.
Under a state-appointed emergency manager, the city switched to the river water from the Detroit water system’s Lake Huron in April 2014 when it protested what it considered the city of Detroit’s expensive water rates.
Obama cited Flint’s water crisis as an example of why the government’s role in public safety is so crucial.
Last week, Mr Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint, which is predominantly an African-American, working-class city. Republicans on Capitol Hill, who object that the order would violate the First Amendment and would politicize the federal contracting process, have reportedly exerted strong pressure on Obama not to sign it.
“We’ve added more jobs than nearly all the other advanced countries combined during this period”, Obama said Wednesday during a speech to the United Auto Workers in Detroit. “We’ll do audacious executive action throughout the course of the year-I’m confident about that”, McDonough told the press corps.
Obama had lunch at a brewery with Mayor Mike Duggan, a GM employee and others, then stopped at watch maker Shinola before heading to the show. President George W. Bush initiated the auto bailout with more than $17 billion in short-term loans.
At the start of Obama’s presidency, GM and Chrysler were teetering on collapse when the administration effectively forced both automakers into bankruptcy, lending them enough to survive.
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Among the strides the American motor industry has made in recent years, he noted, is a substantial increase in jobs – more than 646,000 since mid-2009, the largest growth on record. Only about 41 percent supported the aid.
