angelatc
03-07-2016, 10:41 AM
http://www.sltrib.com/home/3617198-155/why-utahs-mike-lee-is-single-handedly
Initially, Lee, R-Utah, was part of a group of senators to place a procedural "hold" on the vote, but that group has shrunk and Lee is the only objecting senator to be identified. At first, he declined to comment, but he decided to break his silence Friday.
"Federal aid is not needed at this time," Lee said in a statement, noting that Michigan has a budget surplus and a "rainy day fund" that it could tap before turning to Congress. "The people and policymakers of Michigan right now have all the government resources they need to fix the problem. And those public resources are being augmented every day by the generosity of individuals, businesses, labor unions and civic organizations of every stripe from across the country. The only thing Congress is contributing to the Flint recovery is political grandstanding."
The media is in attack mode.
If that's the case, then it is bipartisan grandstanding.Michigan's two senators, Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, are sponsoring this proposal with Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rob Portman of Ohio.
Their proposal, funded by redirecting money from a 2007 stimulus program for automakers, would create $100 million in subsidized loans for any state with a federal emergency due to lead contaminants in its water. Flint is the only community that would fit that description. The city of 100,000 could use the money to redevelop its water system.
Initially, Lee, R-Utah, was part of a group of senators to place a procedural "hold" on the vote, but that group has shrunk and Lee is the only objecting senator to be identified. At first, he declined to comment, but he decided to break his silence Friday.
"Federal aid is not needed at this time," Lee said in a statement, noting that Michigan has a budget surplus and a "rainy day fund" that it could tap before turning to Congress. "The people and policymakers of Michigan right now have all the government resources they need to fix the problem. And those public resources are being augmented every day by the generosity of individuals, businesses, labor unions and civic organizations of every stripe from across the country. The only thing Congress is contributing to the Flint recovery is political grandstanding."
The media is in attack mode.
If that's the case, then it is bipartisan grandstanding.Michigan's two senators, Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, are sponsoring this proposal with Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Rob Portman of Ohio.
Their proposal, funded by redirecting money from a 2007 stimulus program for automakers, would create $100 million in subsidized loans for any state with a federal emergency due to lead contaminants in its water. Flint is the only community that would fit that description. The city of 100,000 could use the money to redevelop its water system.