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Flint mayor in Washington to meet with President

Posted at 1:56 PM, Jan 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-19 13:56:52-05

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The mayor of Flint, Michigan, is in Washington hoping to meet with President Barack Obama’s administration about the city’s water crisis.

Mayor Karen Weaver joined Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign on a conference call Tuesday. She says Obama “needs to hear first-hand what’s going on in Flint.”

President Obama’s Press Secretary said on Tuesday that Obama is still planning on visiting Detroit and the North American International Auto Show on Wednesday, but will not be travelling to Flint.

Corrosive water from the Flint River has caused lead to leach from old pipes into homes. A state-appointed emergency manager approved the switch from Detroit’s water system to save money in 2014. But tests later showed high levels of lead in the blood of some local children.

Flint has returned to Detroit water, but many residents are relying on bottled water.

Obama signed an emergency declaration Saturday that could get Flint up to $5 million in federal funds.

The AP contributed to this story.