On Tuesday night, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder used his annual "state of the state" speech to address the ongoing water crisis in Flint, apologizing to the city's residents and promising accountability.
"I am sorry and I will fix it," Snyder said. "No citizen of this state should experience such a catastrophe ... I'm sorry most of all I let you down."
To you, the people of Flint, I want to say tonight—as I have before—that I am sorry-- and I will fix it. #MISOTS16 pic.twitter.com/1UuddIEyIU— Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) January 20, 2016
Snyder's office released its official timeline of the crisis and, as Snyder outlined Monday night, it will make available to the public all of his emails regarding Flint from 2014 and 2015 on his website on Wednesday. He also pledged to go after those he deemed responsible for the crisis, saying, "For those whose mistakes contributed to this disaster ... we will hold those individuals accountable."
Here is the full Flint water timeline. You may also find it at https://t.co/n1khEEDr9x #MISOTS16 pic.twitter.com/EbqiQSAwfo— Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) January 20, 2016
Snyder pledged to work with Flint's mayor, Karen Weaver, in continuing to work toward a resolution and announced he would be requesting an additional $28 million in funding for a variety of needs, including infrastructure, health care for those affected by the crisis, and clean water.
"When Michiganders turn on their faucets, they deserve clean, safe water."— Mashable News (@MashableNews) January 20, 2016
Snyder didn't name any individuals responsible for the crisis but did place blame on failures by the state's Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Environmental Quality and insisted, "a situation like this must come to my desk immediately. No delays, no excuses, period."
Snyder on DEQ and DHHS failures in Flint water crisis: “We are actively investigating why these agencies got it so wrong.” #MISOTS16— Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) January 20, 2016
Snyder's speech comes after the governor faced criticism for his own alleged slow response to the crisis as it unfolded. On Saturday, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called on Snyder to resign, saying in a statement: "The governor long ago knew about the lead in Flint's water. Thousands may have been exposed to potential brain damage from lead. Gov. Snyder should resign."
Fellow presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton also lambasted Snyder at the conclusion of Sunday night's debate, saying, "Every single American should be outraged ... and the governor of that state acted as though he didn't really care."
In response to Clinton's comments, Snyder went on the defensive Sunday night.
Political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis.— Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) January 18, 2016
On Saturday, President Obama declared the Flint crisis a federal emergency but denied Snyder's request to declare it a major disaster, which would open up more funding for the city. Snyder said on Tuesday night he planned to appeal that decision.