Last week, Mr Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint, which is predominantly an African-American, working-class city.
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“It is a reminder that we can’t short-change the basic services we provide to our people”.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he didn’t expect the president to make a detour to Flint, but the White House noted that Obama did meet with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver when she visited Washington Tuesday, saying he “heard firsthand how the residents of Flint are dealing with the ongoing public health crisis, and the challenges that still exist for the city, its residents, and the business community”.
Obama sought to highlight how his administration provided the auto industry with billions of dollars in capital during the heart of the Great Recession even as many others were calling for the government to focus its resources elsewhere.
In October, testing revealed increased lead levels in water supplies and in children’s blood.
He stopped for lunch at the new Detroit restaurant before heading to the North American International Auto Show, where he met with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the founder of Shinola and Dr. Tolulope Sonuyi, an emergency medicine physician in the city. He also said the state and city can not meet all the needs of Flint residents.
In addition, the White House also sent Nicole Lurie, the deputy secretary for preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services, to coordinate federal efforts in Flint.
The nation should resist the siren song of shortsighted politicians who assert that government’s refusal to spend money to help people in need is a virtue.
In an interview this week, Mr Snyder admitted it was a disaster but denied it was his “Katrina moment” – a reference to the much-criticised response of President George W Bush to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005.
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The president spent almost an hour at the auto show, looking at crash avoidance technology from ZF TRW and sitting in a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV, an all-electric vehicle that will be available late this year. The companies shuttered plants, laid off workers and cut ties with thousands of dealerships. Only about 41 percent supported the aid.
