[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     FLINT, MICHIGAN, WATER CRISIS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I join in commending the managers of this 
bill that is on the floor, but before we rush off to a congratulatory 
phase of this legislation, there has to be an opportunity to work 
something out on Flint, MI, and the tremendous problems they have.
  There are 100,000 people today who are afraid to drink the water. 
Yesterday I had a picture showing the water, the yellow-green color of 
the water. The water is so impure, so dirty, so nasty that General 
Motors, which manufactures automobile parts, had to suspend using the 
water because it was corroding their instruments in their manufacturing 
facilities. But during that period of time, people were still looking 
to drink the only water they could.
  We have 9,000 children who have been badly affected by lead 
poisoning. These little boys and girls will never be what they could be 
because lead poisoning for children is irreversible.
  I hope we can work something out on the Stabenow-Peters amendment 
because it is very important for the people of Michigan and an example 
of what we need to do to help the country with these problems we have 
when the Federal Government must step in.
  The Governor of Michigan, who preaches about how bad government is, 
of course looked to us when the problems got so dire in Michigan.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at the conclusion of my 
leader remarks the junior Senator from Maine be recognized for 10 
minutes, and if he feels it appropriate, I will remain on the floor for 
him following my remarks so that he could have a colloquy with me.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________