When Flint, Michigan, switched its water supply on April 25, 2014, it sparked an unprecedented publi

When Flint, Michigan, switched its water supply on April 25, 2014, it sparked an unprecedented public health crisis. Its residents are still in dire need of help.

The water in Flint, Michigan, is still unsafe to drink — two years after the crisis was set in motion. Badly needed federal assistance has been marooned by a handful of congressional Republicans. And the larger national problem of lead in too much of our drinking water is yet to be addressed.

The tragedy in Flint, and the largely feckless response so far, make for a sorry testament to government’s falling short on this issue at every level — state, local, and federal. These failings, though, are not an excuse for government inaction or a reason to hamstring our national response, as the usual critics of commonsense safeguards have claimed. The situation, instead, calls us to do better going forward. We owe that to the people of Flint. We owe it to Americans everywhere.

viaTwo Years of Tragedy in Flint