Referring obliquely to Republicans, Obama said politicians with that mind-set maintain an “attitude that is as corrosive to our democracy as the stuff that resulted in the lead in your water”.
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But his successes have been overshadowed by the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint and the turmoil in Detroit public schools.
In his remarks Wednesday, Obama claimed communities like Flint were too often at the bottom of politicians’ agendas. Snyder said he understood why they were angry and frustrated and that he wanted to say he was sorry.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder stands and listens the boos of the crowd when he takes to the stage to speak before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at Northwest High School about the Flint water contamination crises May 4, 2016 in Flint, Michigan.
He also said it should never have happened.
“Can I get some water?” he said. Still, prosecutors said he failed to perform duties required of a certified water plant operator.
“It’s a mindset that believes less government is the highest good, no matter what”. He also requested a glass of filtered water during his speech, saying “I really did need a glass of water”.
Obama implored local residents to get and use the free water filters, bring their children for blood tests and let their taps flow for five minutes a day to flush contaminants. Obama, Snyder and the city’s mayor, Karen Weaver, received a briefing on the lead crisis from federal officials.
At one point, with his hands gripping either side of his podium as he leaned toward the audience, Obama told a heckler that yelling at him would not help end the city’s health and economic crisis. The more caustic water caused lead, a toxin that harms brain development, to leach from aging city pipes.
Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in Flint in January when the water was found to have high levels of lead. He oversaw day-to-day operations of the water plant when the city changed its water source from Detroit, which draws from Lake Huron, to the Flint River in April 2014. Most people are drinking filtered or bottled water.
The political and legal fallout is ongoing.
One of three men charged criminally in the Flint water crisis reached a plea agreement Wednesday, which calls for him to continue cooperating with authorities who have vowed to charge more people in the scandal. “I have heard Flint residents say that over and over again”.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told Congress that, while staff repeatedly urged the state to address the lack of corrosion controls, “we missed the opportunity late last summer to quickly get EPA’s concerns on the public’s radar screen”.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in February it was joining a criminal investigation with the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General and federal prosecutors in MI to explore whether laws were broken by a range of officials. The bill could come up for a Senate vote this month. “Or sometimes toys were painted with lead and you were chewing on it”, Obama said during his speech.
The president’s trip was meant to reassure residents the federal government is not ignoring the beleaguered city; state officials have been accused of neglecting Flint’s major problems.
“There’s a problem where they’re going”, Hansen said, referring to the emergency managers Snyder has appointed. “We’re trying to do some business here”.
The president said the federal commitment is long-term, and that it’s time for the entire country to rally around Flint.
“I think it’s just an awesome experience”, Buckner said, wiping tears from her eyes. According to Blomquist, over a 10 year period, median home prices in those areas fell more and recovered less than in areas with low environmental risk.
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“It might take a year”, he said.
