{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://dankildee.house.gov/house-passes-170-million-flint-aid-package-championed-by-congressman-dan-kildee/", "House Passes $170 Million Flint Aid Package Championed by Congressman Dan Kildee", "2016-12-08", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Dan Kildee", "K000380", "dankildee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "House Passes $170 Million Flint Aid Package Championed by Congressman Dan Kildee \n\t\t\t\t\tDecember 8, 2016\n\t\t\t\t\tRelief Would Help Replace Lead Pipes, Remove Lead from Homes and Expand Health Care for Those Exposed to Lead\nThe U.S. House of Representatives today passed $170 million in federal aid directed at helping Flint recover from the city\u2019s ongoing water crisis. Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), who for over a year has advocated for congressional action for Flint, applauded the action on two House bills related to Flint that now move to the U.S. Senate.\n\u201cGetting aid for my hometown of Flint, which continues to recover from the ongoing water crisis, has been my top priority in Congress, and I am happy to see this aid package move forward,\u201d Congressman Kildee said. \u201cFlint families have waited far too long for their government to act but I am pleased that over a hundred million dollars in real federal aid for Flint is a big step closer to becoming reality.\u201d\nThe House today passed both a water resources bill, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), which included authorizing language regarding Flint aid, by a vote of 360-61, and the Continuing Resolution (CR), the end-of-year government spending bill that included the appropriations money for Flint, by a vote of 326-96. Congressman Kildee urged swift action on both bills in the U.S. Senate to get the two bills to the President\u2019s desk and signed into law. Both Michigan U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters support the bills passed by the House.\n\u201cI applaud the House for passing our bipartisan agreement to provide long-awaited assistance for families in Flint and other communities affected by lead.\u00a0 It\u2019s absolutely critical that the Senate do the same and pass both the Water Resources Development Act and the government funding bill.\u00a0 That is the only way we can guarantee that families affected by this terrible crisis get the assistance they need. The people of Flint have waited far too long for their water system to be fixed so they can have confidence that their water is safe!\u201d U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow said.\n\u201cI am pleased that the House has passed legislation with critical provisions to help the residents of Flint, who have waited entirely too long for assistance in the wake of this water crisis. It is critical that the Senate act swiftly to pass not just the year end spending bill, but also the water infrastructure bill which is the only way to get Flint the support it needs on its road to recovery,\u201d U.S. Senator Gary Peters said.\nThe aid, which is a result of weeks of bipartisan negotiations between Congressman Kildee, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (WI-01) and others, includes:\n \n$100 million for the Safe Water Drinking Act State Revolving Loan Fund, which Flint could use to replace lead service lines and other water infrastructure improvement needs.\n$50 million for expanded health care, including the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Healthy Start Program and money to create a lead exposure registry.\n$20 million in loans available through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), which would be available to Flint and other communities for water infrastructure improvement projects to address lead and other water contamination issues.\n \nAbout Congressman Kildee\u2019s Advocacy for Flint:\nCongressman Kildee has been a tireless advocate for Flint families and has led the fight in Congress to bring federal funding to the city in the wake of the water crisis. Since learning of the water crisis, Congressman Kildee has never stopped working with his colleagues in Congress \u2013 both Democrats and Republicans \u2013 and the Obama Administration to make sure that Flint receives the resources it needs to recover.\nBringing Attention to the Crisis\nSince September 2015, when the world learned of Flint\u2019s man-made lead in water crisis, Congressman Kildee vocally fought for resources for the city. He immediately spoke out, calling on Governor Rick Snyder, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Paul Ryan (WI-01) to bring attention to the crisis and urge them to bring resources to Flint.\nPushing for Federal Aid\nCongressman Kildee has worked with the Obama Administration to already bring hundreds of millions in federal dollars to Flint.\nIn January 2016, at Congressman Kildee\u2019s request, President Obama declared the water crisis in Flint a state of emergency. Immediately following, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supplied bottled water and water filters with replacement cartridges for Flint families. Later that same month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allocated $80 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to Michigan to help Flint.\nIn March 2016, at Congressman Kildee\u2019s request, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved Medicaid expansion for thousands of children and pregnant women in Flint so that they could have access to the health care that they need to recover from lead exposure. Furthermore, HHS awarded $3.5 million to expand Head Start for Flint children.\nIn June 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded healthy food assistance benefits for over 23,000 children to help purchase fruits and vegetables.\nAdvocating for Flint in Congress\nThroughout the crisis, Congressman Kildee has refused to let Flint families be forgotten; he frequently took to the floor of the House of Representatives to remind Congress that Flint families continue to struggle to recover from the ongoing crisis, and that Congress needed to act on federal aid immediately.\nIn February 2016, Congressman Kildee testified before the U.S. House of Oversight and Government Reform Committee to tell Flint\u2019s story and make sure Flint families received the justice they deserved.\nThe same month, Congressman Kildee, along with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12), held a Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing where they heard from public health experts, including Dr. Mona Hanna Attisha, and local officials on the causes and lessons of the water crisis. Congressman Kildee invited Governor Rick Snyder to testify at the hearing, but the Governor declined.\nCongressional Delegations to Flint\nFrom February to September of 2016, Congressman Kildee hosted four separate congressional delegations to Flint, hosting over 30 Members of Congress \u2013 both Democrats and Republicans \u2013 in Flint. During the trips, Congressman Kildee led Leader Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (SC-06), Congressman Fred Upton (MI-06), leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus and others to meet with families, business owners and community leaders in Flint to see first-hand the crisis there.\nLegislative Actions\nWhile keeping Flint in the national spotlight, Congressman Kildee introduced several pieces of legislation to provide relief for Flint families to recover from the water crisis and ensure that another lead in water crisis doesn\u2019t happen in other communities.\nIn February 2016, Congressman Kildee introduced the Families of Flint Act, a comprehensive bill that sought to address the immediate and long-term investments in Flint. This legislation started a national conversation about Flint in Congress and provided the basis and starting point for the passage of today\u2019s passed Flint aid package. The Families of Flint Act had the support of 173 Members of Congress.\nAdditionally, in February 2016, Congressman Kildee and Congressman Upton introduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen requirements to have the EPA more quickly notify the public when concentrations of lead in drinking water are above federal requirements, working to ensure the Flint tragedy can never happen again. This bill passed the House on February 10, 2016, with an overwhelming 416-2 bipartisan vote and was included in today\u2019s passed Flint aid package.\nIn July 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two amendments offered by Congressman Kildee allowing Flint to be relieved of existing loan burdens more quickly and provide $3 million to fund the city of Flint\u2019s share of a testing pipe loop that would allow for testing of water from a future source, the Karegnondi Water Authority, before the water source is changed. Language to allow loan forgiveness is included in the Continuing Resolution.\nIn September 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives, by a strong bipartisan vote of 399-25, passed H.R. 5303, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which included \u00a0Congressman Kildee\u2019s amendment with Congressman John Moolenaar (MI-04), which authorized $170 million to help repair Flint\u2019s water infrastructure. The Kildee-Moolenaar amendment passed with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 284-141, with support from 101 Republicans and 183 Democrats.\nToday\u2019s passage of Flint aid in the House as part of a broader water resources bill is a culmination of over a years\u2019 worth of engagement, advocacy and work by Congressman Kildee for the residents of his hometown. In the face of opposition, Congressman Kildee never let Congress forget about Flint families and worked with all of his colleagues to deliver bipartisan funding to the city of Flint.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://dankildee.house.gov/house-passes-170-million-flint-aid-package-championed-by-congressman-dan-kildee/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8128639310598373, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}