As the residents of Flint, Michigan, continue to use bottled water for everything, a federal aid package continues to be stalled in Washington. The $250 million package that has the support of the state’s Congress members can’t seem to untangle itself and make its way to the beleaguered city, where residents have been poisoned and left to fend for themselves.
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter and Utah Sen. Mike Lee had both been holding up the package—Vitter looking for concessions for hunting on an energy bill, and Lee because he doesn’t think the federal government should be in the business of providing aid to states. Vitter backed off his hold on the bill this morning. That leaves Lee as the lone holdout.
Lee’s concerns are more tailored to the aid deal; he argues it’s not the federal government’s job to provide aid to Flint or other cities with water contamination problems, and that state and local governments should tackle the problem themselves.
Holding up federal aid over concessions or disagreements might be considered kidnapping and demanding a ransom if one readily identifiable body was involved. But the crime that took place in Flint deals with about 100,000 mostly black and brown poor people, so it’s obviously okay.
But the larger issue may be Sen. Lee, who thinks it’s not the federal government’s job to step in and assist, but the job of the states. It was the state that created this heinous crime in the first place—a state under the helm of Lee’s fellow Republican party member.
That’s first of all. Secondly, Lee has spoken somewhat glowingly of the private entities that have been augmenting state efforts but … so what? What’s the point? That the private sector should step up and step in? Which would then lead to the question: What is the purpose of government in the first place? Why even have a federal government if it cannot step in and provide assistance when state governments have acted ineptly, irresponsibly, and quite possibly criminally?
Sen. Lee, can you address that? Inquiring minds want to know.