A Utah senator said Friday that federal money in Flint, Michigan, is not needed, after putting a bill on hold to provide federal aid to the city, NBC News reported.
"The state of Michigan has an enormous budget surplus this year and a large rainy-day fund, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars," Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, said in a statement Friday. He accused lawmakers of “political grandstanding.”
The $220 million bill would provide funds to help Flint and other cities fix and replace lead pipes, and prevent and address lead poisoning. Lee’s “hold” only stops the speedy consideration of the bill, and can be bypassed procedurally.
Nearly 1000,000 residents of the city were exposed to lead poisoning when the city switched water sources in a bid to save money.
