Washington – U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, will join House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and nearly two dozen other progressive Democrats on a trip to Flint, Mich., on Friday to rally behind the victims of the city’s water crisis – and perhaps try to give Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a boost.
Michigan has the largest haul of delegates of the three states holding primaries next Tuesday. (Mississippi and Idaho are the other two.)
Clinton’s Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has outspent Clinton on advertisements in Michigan and has campaigned heavily in the state.
The delegation’s trip will come the day before Clinton and Sanders debate in Flint on Saturday. DeLauro and most of theDemocrats traveling to Flint, which include many members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have endorsed Clinton.
The lawmakers also hope their trip will promote a congressional solution to the crisis posed by Flint’s lead-tainted tainted water. As many as 9,000 children were unaware for months they were drinking lead-tainted water. Lead poisoning can can seriously affect health, including brain development in children.
Congress has not been able to agree on an aid package that would help Flint replace corroded pipes and support children and families exposed to lead.
DeLauro and the other members of the congressional delegation to tour Flint will hold a “Speak Out” with families affected by the water crisis.