President Obama says he is committed to Flint during Detroit visit

But despite Moore’s entreaties, the President was not able to add Flint to the itinerary. However, as he made clear as soon as he took the stage at Detroit’s UAW International Headquarters Flint’s struggles  are very much on his heart and mind. He reminded the audience of the $5 million he has already released in response to Flint being declared an emergency, and he said he will continue to be involved in whatever way he can. He did not address Gov. Snyder’s request to designate Flint as a natural disaster area which would enable the city to be eligible for much more funds.  Obama has denied that request, using the rationale that Flint is not a natural but a man-made disaster which the State government already knew about for nearly a year before finally acting on the situation under considerable pressure. By law, this prevents Flint from being considered a disaster area. Gov. Snyder has asked Obama to reconsider his decision (UPDATE: on Thursday Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced that President Obama has now agreed to provide $80 million in federal drinking revolving fund aid targeted mostly to assist Flint’s families with the water contamination crisis, the Detroit News reports).

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Keith A. Owens

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