Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) opened the Democratic debate Sunday night in Flint, Michigan, by declaring that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder needed to step down or be recalled over the water crisis.
It was the first time Clinton had called for Snyder to resign. Sanders had previously called for Snyder’s resignation.
“I agree the governor should resign or be recalled and we should support the efforts of citizens attempting to achieve that,” Clinton said. “But that is not enough. We have to focus on what must be done to help the people of Flint. I support 100 percent the efforts by your senators and members of Congress to get the money from.”
Sanders argued that the federal government should have taken a bigger role in cleaning up the area’s drinking water. When asked if he would fire the head of the EPA, Sanders responded that he would fire “anyone who knew what was happening and did not act appropriately.”
“President Sanders would make the point that how does it happen in the wealthiest country in the history of the world?” Sanders said. “How did we have so much money available to go to war in Iraq and spend trillions of dollars, but somehow not have enough money not just for Flint, the secretary is right. There are communities all over the country. Not just infrastructure, but education. Detroit’s public school system is collapsing.”
