President Barack Obama finally shared his thoughts on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. While in Detroit at the UAW-GM, President Obama spoke about the issue and how it has affected him as a parent. “I am very proud of what I’ve done as president, but the only job that’s more important to me is the job of father,” Obama said. “And I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kids’ health could be at risk. And that’s why, over the weekend, I declared a federal emergency in Flint to send more resources on top of the assistance that we’ve already put on the ground.”
Obama also discussed his meeting with mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver. “Yesterday, I met with Mayor Weaver in the White House, in the Oval Office, and I told her that we are going to have her back and all the people of Flint’s back as they work their way through this terrible tragedy. It is a reminder of why you can’t shortchange basic services that we provide to our people and that we, together, provide as a government to make sure that the public health and safety is preserved.”
Residents are calling for Gov. Rick Snyder to resign and to face criminal charges for intentionally poisoning the citizens of Flint. Snyder released over 200 emails, and he basically ignored the issue for over two years. He also apparently never responded in June 2015 after the EPA shed light on the high levels of lead in Flint’s water.
Along with the Flint crisis, Obama discussed the resurgence of Detroit’s auto industry and he visited the Detroit Auto Show.
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