Hillary Clinton left the campaign trail in New Hampshire and headed to Flint, Michigan at the request of the mayor and other officials there, to draw attention to the water crisis there after the Senate blocked additional federal funds to assist the city with remediation last week.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for “action now” to combat the toxic water crisis here Sunday in a speech to a packed congregation, arguing that a wealthier city would never have let its children drink water that was “poisoned.”
“This has to be a national priority,” Clinton said at the House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church. “What happened in Flint is immoral. The children of Flint are just as precious as the children of any part of America.”
Clinton, who took a detour from campaigning in New Hampshire to visit the ailing city, said clean water is a basic right that is “not optional, my friends.” She called on Congress to pass a $200 million bill to replace Flint’s current water infrastructure.
While there, she listened to residents' concerns not only about the immediate crisis, but also about the future for the children exposed to toxic lead levels.
One mother, Nakia Wakes, told Mrs. Clinton that she had miscarried twins, most likely because of the impact of the tainted water, and that she worried her 6-year-old son, Desiree, developed attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder because of the tarnished water supply.
Filmmaker Michael Moore took note of her visit as well, thanking her for taking the time to visit.
