President Obama paid a visit to Flint, Michigan on Wednesday. The trip was, at least in part, spurred by a letter from 8-year-old Mari Copeny who wrote to request a meeting with the president or with First Lady Michelle Obama. Wednesday she got her meeting.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said at Flint Northwestern High School. “To tell you directly that I see you, and I hear you.”
He added, “I also came here to tell you that I’ve got your back. That we’re paying attention.”
Obama tied the disaster in Flint into the broader disregard for infrastructure across the country, and to attacks on the government that have weakened both public utilities and government oversight.
“It’s a mindset that says environmental rules designed to keep your water clean or your air clean are options, or not that important, or will unnecessarily burden businesses or taxpayers,” Obama said
It’s also the mindset that brings many Republican candidates to rail against the EPA and threaten to eliminate the agency — a threat also made by Donald Trump.
At each of his stops, President Obama drank a symbolic glass of water and reminded local residents that the filtered water was safe, except for pregnant women and young children. He also encouraged Flint residents to use more of their water, since reluctance to run the taps in some areas is contributing to problems in clearing polluted water from the system.
Originally, Governor Rick Snyder had indicated he would not be present for the visit, because he was on a trip to Switzerland. But Snyder managed to hurry back to speak today. However, while President Obama drew a standing ovation, Governor Snyder got a different response.
As more information comes in, the blame is more and more falling on the state government and in particular on the decisions of Synder’s appointed “emergency managers.”
The Environmental Protection Agency has come under fire for not getting more involved in Flint, with numerous lawmakers calling for its chief, Gina McCarthy, to resign.
Both McCarthy and the governor have expressed remorse for the water crisis, but McCarthy said because it happened under a state-appointed emergency manager, “that precluded us from being able to jump in to the rescue.”
So far three people have been indicted for their involvement in the situation at Flint. However, all those indicted so far are fairly low-level officials. More indictments are expected.
If Donald Trump got his wish to eliminate the EPA, incidents like the one in Flint would not just be common, they would be the rule.