Press Releases

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.”