Michigan Governor Hopes Obama Will Drink Flint Water During Visit
Gov. Snyder hopes the president will drink the water in Flint during his visit.
— -- Governor Rick Snyder is calling on President Obama to drink the water in Flint, Michigan, during his visit Wednesday.
“We are hopeful the president will drink the water in Flint, to help reinforce Gov. Snyder’s actions and the EPA’s message that filtered Flint water is safe to drink,” Snyder's spokeswoman Anna Heaton said in a statement to ABC News.
Asked yesterday if the president plans to drink the water in Flint tomorrow, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he’s “not aware of any photo-ops that involve the president's consumption of water” but has repeatedly stated the president’s belief -– based on the EPA’s assessment –- that filtered water in Flint is safe to drink.
“What the EPA has communicated to the public is that properly filtered water in Flint is safe to drink. So I certainly would encourage people to continue to listen to the advice that they get from our scientific and public health experts about what water is safe to drink, and the president will certain follow that advice,” Earnest said.
Despite the EPA’s assessment that filtered water is safe to drink, Heaton said that many in Flint continue to drink only bottled water.
Snyder drank filtered tap water in Flint last month to prove that he believes the water is safe to drink.
“Flint residents made it clear that they would like to see me personally drink the water, so today I am fulfilling that request. And I will continue drinking Flint water at work and at home for at least 30 days,” Snyder said in a press release last month.