Congressman Dan Kildee Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral letter from Members of Michigan’s Delegation Urging President Obama to Support Request for Federal Assistance

WASHINGTON– Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today led a letter signed by a bipartisan and bicameral group of his colleagues from Michigan urging the President to support the State of Michigan’s request for federal assistance in Flint. The letter reads in part: “We write in support of Governor Snyder’s request last night for federal assistance to address the widespread exposure of Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead from their drinking water… Your swift response is critical to address this ongoing public emergency and its long-term impacts on the people of Flint, especially its children.” The signatories are: Senator Debbie Stabenow Senator Gary Peters Representative Dan Kildee Representative John Conyers Jr. Representative Sandy Levin Representative Fred Upton Representative Candice Miller Representative Tim Walberg Representative Dan Benishek Representative Bill Huizenga Representative Brenda Lawrence Representative Debbie Dingell Representative David Trott Representative John Moolenaar Representative Mike Bishop Full text of the letter can be found below: President Obama: We write in support of Governor Snyder’s request last night for federal assistance to address the widespread exposure of Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead from their drinking water. Lead exposure can have lifelong impacts on neurological and behavioral development. To combat this exposure, the state’s request includes federal funding for water infrastructure improvements, support for health care and nutritional assistance. It is important that the requested assistance be dispatched immediately to Flint in order to respond to this crisis by providing safe drinking water and protecting the health of city residents. In addition, since April 2014, there has been an outbreak of Legionella in the Flint area leading to 87 cases of Legionnaires’ disease with 10 deaths. We therefore ask the federal government to work closely with state officials to investigate the cause of the deadly outbreak of Legionella in the Flint area. Your swift response is critical to address this ongoing public emergency and its long-term impacts on the people of Flint, especially its children. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

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