President Obama will visit Flint on Wednesday to learn about the federal government’s response to the lead water crisis there.
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Michigan Governor Rick Snyder expects Medicaid to be expanded next week to an additional 15,000 children and pregnant women in the Flint area, confronting the city’s lead-contaminated water emergency.
The president will give formal remarks in Flint, after speaking directly with community leaders and residents.
Obama will also meet with Gov. Rick Snyder and Mayor Karen Weaver, attend a neighborhood roundtable with those affected by the lead-poisoning, and will also be briefed by other city officials.
Google’s charitable arm is today announcing several grants and donations aimed at helping the residents of Flint, Michigan respond to their ongoing water crisis.
President Obama declared a state of emergency in the city in mid-January, which allowed federal aid to flow into the city.
“When I say it looks like chemical burns?” she said, pointing to the photos.
“Of course, our goal is to reach as many places of worship, community organizations, and businesses as possible”, said Tiffany Brown, a spokeswoman for Mission Flint, the state’s organized effort to tackle the crisis in Flint.
“What the EPA has communicated to the public is that properly filtered water in Flint is safe to drink”. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday that the details of the visit were still being planned, but he noted that Snyder’s schedule “got a little freed up” and “we’ll keep you posted on what sort of interactions they may have”.
The federal government has spent roughly $5 million in direct cash assistance to the city, which has paid for millions of bottles of water and thousands of filters, according to the White House.
Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, whose research team helped uncover the lead issues in Flint, took a nine-plus hour drive to Flint on Tuesday to “stand with residents” as the president addresses the community.
Getting to meet the president is “a little scary” but mostly “exciting”, the confident 8-year-old said.
“These particles are a significant factor in Flint homes where water samples have shown very high lead concentrations”, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.
“That’s another major step forward”, Snyder said of treating those who may have been exposed to lead while drinking the improperly treated water for at least 18 months.
Snyder and his administration have come under fire for their handling of the Flint water situation, after residents decried the fact they got no action for almost two years on many complaints to the state about cloudy, dirty water.
The corrosive water caused lead to leach from pipes, joints and fixtures.
“We continue to call on state lawmakers and Congress to pass appropriations needed for the City of Flint to recover”, she said.
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The third-grader wrote to the president in March saying “I am one the children that is effected (sic) by this water and I’ve been doing my best to march in protest and to speak out for all the kids that live here in Flint”.
