Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder turned down an invitation to testify in front of the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee earlier this week about Flint’s ongoing water contamination crisis.
According to a spokesperson for Snyder, the governor was scheduled to present a 2017 budget plan at the same time and had been slated to do so for at least a month. However, Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint Township), a member of the committee, called Snyder’s declination “deeply disappointing” because the governor has yet to be held accountable for his central role in the crisis.
“To date, Congress has not heard testimony from you on the Flint water crisis,” the Feb. 2 letter, on which Kildee was one of three signers, said. “Unfortunately, a prior Congressional hearing this week did not include top state officials, including emergency financial managers appointed by you to run the city of Flint. Seeing how it was your administration’s decisions that led to this public health crisis, including Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law, we believe it is important to hear testimony from you on this manner.”
