President Biden announces $115 million for Jackson, Mississippi, water crisis
“For years, the people of Jackson, Mississippi, have suffered the consequences of aging water infrastructure,” the president said in a statement released to theGrio.
President Joe Biden is awarding $115 million to support needed investments to rebuild Jackson, Mississippi’s water infrastructure, theGrio is first to report. The federal dollars are part of $600 million in appropriations funding approved by Congress last year.
Jackson, a majority-Black city of nearly 150,000 residents, is in a state of rebuilding after its water system nearly collapsed last summer due to major flooding and years of infrastructure neglect.
Residents were left without clean and safe drinking water for days during its initial failure in August 2022 and have continued to face disruptions. The federal government has stepped in to assist the state with emergency support and technical assistance.
Most recently, a federal court ruled in favor of the U.S. Department of Justice to install a third-party outside manager as part of an agreement between the city and the Mississippi State Department of Health as federal, state and local parties work together on a path forward to improve a decades-old problem in one of the country’s poorest cities.
“For years, the people of Jackson, Mississippi, have suffered the consequences of aging water infrastructure,” said President Biden in a statement released to theGrio. “All Americans deserve access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s why I directed my Administration to make sure the people of Jackson have the resources they need and deserve.”
Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser to President Biden and coordinator for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, told theGrio that the initial $115 million award would immediately hit the ground in Jackson.
Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans, said the $115 million is on top of hundreds of millions poured into the state so far.
“Monies had already been sent down – $25 million very early – another $450 million to the state, and $75 million on top of that,” said Landrieu.
In addition, he noted that as a part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in November 2021, “there’s a significant amount of money that can flow to the states through [the Environmental Protection Agency] to help with water and sewer systems in cities.”
Landrieu said the court-appointed manager of the water system is working with the mayor and Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi’s lone Black congressman, as well as city council members and the state to make sure that “this money is invested appropriately, so the folks in Jackson can have clean air and safe water.”
In his statement to theGrio, Biden praised Thompson and said this historic investment “would not have been possible” without him.
“[He] has been a steadfast leader in times of crisis, a strong advocate for his constituents, and a great partner, and I want to thank him for his untiring commitment to the Jackson community,” said the president.
Biden said that while progress has been made in repairing Jackson’s water system, “there is much more work to do to ensure that all Americans have access to clean water.”
He continued, “Thanks to my Investing in America agenda, we’re already deploying record resources to communities all across America to replace lead pipes, improve water quality, and rebuild the Nation’s drinking water infrastructure, ensuring it can withstand the impacts of the climate crisis.”
The president added, “Until all our children can safely drink water from the tap, our fight for clean water must, and will, continue.”
Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.
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