GOP Senator: Federal Aid Not Needed In Flint Water Crisis
By Matthew Daly
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah says federal aid is not needed in Flint, Michigan, where lead-contaminated pipes have resulted in an ongoing public health emergency.
Lee said Friday he is holding up bipartisan legislation to address the water crisis in Flint because Michigan's Republican governor has not asked for federal help and the state does not need it.
Lee says Michigan has an enormous budget surplus this year and a rainy-day fund totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. He says complaints by Democratic senators about Republicans obstructing aid to Flint are no more than "political grandstanding."
Senators from both parties reached a tentative deal last month for a $220 million package to fix and replace lead-contaminated pipes in Flint and other cities, but the bill remains on hold.
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