$170 Million for Flint Water Pipes a Step Closer to Congressional Funding

An amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that would provide $170 million to replace contaminated water pipes is headed to the 11th hour of the Congressional session.

1 minute read

September 30, 2016, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Flint

Linda Parton / Shutterstock

According to an article by Todd Spangler, "an effort to secure federal funding to replace lead water pipe lines in the city took a major step forward Wednesday as the U.S. House approved $170 million to address the public health crisis."

The vote doesn't finalize the funding for the new pipes. The House version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) must still be reconciled with a version approved by the U.S. Senate two weeks ago. Both versions, however, include the funding.

Spangler describes the political process that led to the House approval as "far from easy." To even get an amendment for the funding included in the House version of the WRDA, "Senate Democrats led by Michigan's two members upended votes Tuesday to keep government open past the end of the federal fiscal year at midnight Friday if resolutions were going to include $500 million for flooding in Louisiana but no assurances for Flint."

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