President Biden touted his administration’s efforts to remove lead and other toxic substances from drinking water as he tried to make the Democrats’ case for voters in the swing state of Wisconsin.
During an appearance in Milwaukee, he touted his administration’s new rule that requires the removal of most of the nation’s lead-based water pipes within 10 years.
“Kamala and I are the first administration to take on the challenge once and for all, and we’re delivering,” Biden said, referring to Vice President Harris.
“We’ve already replaced 367,000 lead pipe services all across America, and today,
nearly 1 million Americans no longer have to worry about the potential impacts of lead in their water.”
Biden also hit Republicans over their record on the issue, including Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson’s vote against the bipartisan law.
“I don’t think there’s a damn thing radical about protecting kids from lead poisoning,” Biden said.
He also pointed to the Trump administration’s record of rolling back environmental protections — and promises of an “infrastructure week.”
“When the last guy was president he promised infrastructure week every week for four years. He didn’t build a damn thing,” Biden said.
In response, Johnson said in a statement to The Hill “I’m not sure what the President is talking about, and I’m quite sure neither is he.”
Citing inflation concerns, Johnson added that he opposed “their massive deficit spending bills.”
The city of Milwaukee has tens of thousands of lead water lines. Other U.S. cities including Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Detroit also have numerous lead pipes.
Biden’s comments come a decade after the Flint, Mich., water crisis, where a water supply switch caused lead pipes to corrode and resulted in the substance contaminating the city’s water and exposing nearly 100,000 people to lead.
More recently, elevated levels of lead were found in another Michigan city – Benton Harbor.
Lead exposure can cause brain and nervous system damage in children. In adults, lead can cause reproductive issues, nerve disorders, high blood pressure and memory problems.
Updated at 10:23 p.m. EDT