John Oliver and Sesame Street Show GOP Not Doing Its Job to Fix Lead Crises in Flint and Nationwide

Leave It to Republicans to Vote Against Protecting Poor Children From the Horrific Hazards of Lead

John Oliver has found the perfect blend of humor and fact to pound home his points, and Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight” is a perfect example.

“Lead: it’s the most dangerous thing in Led Zeppelin’s name,” Oliver joked. “And I will remind you, the other thing was Zeppelin!”

Oliver used the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan as a springboard to explain that it’s not just Flint. The entire nation, it seems, has problems with lead, and Republicans in Congress, while grandstanding for the cameras to show America how much they claim to care about fixing the problem, actually voted against a bill to fund the fixes.

“Unfortunately, the problem is not just in Flint,” Oliver said. “A USA Today Network report found lead contamination in nearly 2,000 additional water systems spanning all 50 states.”

“We can’t just act like it’s not there, the way we all pretend the public swimming pool is not 3 percent child urine.”

But like the swimming pool, the problem, Oliver said, isn’t just in the water.

“Lead is almost as much of a scourge in young children’s homes as Frozen merchandise,” Oliver explained. “‘Why do you need three Olafs and a singing Elsa, McKenzie? Let “Let It Go” go!’ Hashtag: #LetItGoGo,” he quipped.

Fortune notes, “a US Department of Housing report, more than 2 million homes contain both a lead dust hazard and a child under 6-years-old. The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 500,000 kids have elevated levels of lead in their blood. And a child reportedly can be poisoned by as little as 10 milligrams of lead, leading to brain damage or death.”

So, about those congressional Republicans?

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), and grandstanding  Oversight & Government Reform Committee Chair Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), all made wild claims for the cameras, but when the rubber hit the road, they all voted against funding bills to help fix the crisis.

The Daily Beast adds that while the funding, wholly insufficient, “stayed flat,” the “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have had major funding problems in recent years as well, with some Republican lawmakers—including presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump—desiring to wipe out the EPA altogether.”

That’s not funny, it’s dangerous.

Fortunately, Oliver’s video is both funny and informative. Now, how do we get Congress to watch it?

 

Image: Screenshot via LastWeekTonight/YouTube