DNC Deputy Press Secretary Brian Gabriel released the following statement on the four-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus’ call for action:

“It’s an outrage that Americans are still living in conditions that are far beneath the standards of any other developed nation, much less one of the globe’s most powerful and wealthy nations. We stand in solidarity with the residents of Flint and will support all efforts to completely repair the broken infrastructure that led to this environmental injustice. However, the fight cannot stop there, and we must ensure that we never repeat these mistakes again.

“Our leaders have to understand that Flint’s recovery process isn’t just a Michigan issue. Another major incident could happen to communities across the country if we don’t learn every possible lesson from the mishandling of this catastrophe.

“The Flint water crisis raises the question of who in our country is allowed to participate in the idea of the American Dream. The Trump administration somehow expects struggling communities to not only pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, but to do so without the most basic human rights. That’s why Democrats are fighting for and investing in communities like Flint to make sure Americans don’t have to play this rigged game anymore. We’re working around the clock to ensure that the least-protected citizens have elected officials who actually care about their quality of life and general wellbeing.”

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

April 26, 2018 

CBC Chairman, Rep. Lawrence Statements on Anniversary of Flint Water Crisis

WASHINGTON – Today, the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressman Cedric L. Richmond,  (D-LA-02), and the Secretary of the CBC, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI-14), released the following statements on this week’s four-year anniversary of the Flint Water Crisis:

“The Flint Water Crisis is an example of the type of environmental injustice that disproportionately affects communities of color across the country, as well as poor communities,” Congressman Richmond said. “It is shocking and shameful that residents in an American city have been without clean drinking water for four years. We must learn all there is to learn from this situation so it never happens again.”

“Access to safe drinking water is not a privilege—it is a basic right,” Congresswoman Lawrence said. “The water crisis in Flint should be a real wake-up call to America. Many communities are one bad decision, one oversight, one mistake away from devastating consequences. I am calling for a hearing from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a member, for a thorough update on the allocation and outcome of the of the federal aid package. We must ensure that the needs of the people of Flint, with all its complexities, are fully recognized and addressed. This tragedy should never have happened in Flint, and it should never happen anywhere in America ever again. We must hold our government responsible and accountable to its solemn duty of serving the American people. Poor and minority communities are especially vulnerable to environmental injustice that has devastating and long-term consequences. We must do all we can to stop this dangerous attack on our communities. I am calling for a thorough hearing to make certain that we learn the lessons needed to prevent a crisis like this from happening again.”

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