LANSING– Today, State Senator Jeff Irwin, MDP Environmental Caucus Chair Andrew Nowicki, and environmental justice organizer Justin Onwenu blasted Trump for his attacks on the environment during a global pandemic on an Earth day press call hosted by the Michigan Democratic Party.
On the call, they highlighted Trump’s attacks on clean air and water during a pandemic, the lasting damage it will cause to Michiganders, and the disparate effects his attacks will have on communities of color.
“Donald Trump’s bungling of the coronavirus response threatens to obscure the damage this president is doing to clean air and clean water in this country,” said State Senator Jeff Irwin. “On Earth day, it’s an important opportunity to highlight that while he stumbles through crisis after crisis, it’s not just us who will have to live with the effects of Trump’s attacks on our environment, our children and our children’s children will also suffer. It’s time we had a President who puts the health of the people first, not the profits of his campaign contributors.”
“The Trump administration is using the current public health crisis as an excuse to allow corporations to freely pollute our air and water,” said MDP Environmental Caucus Chair Andrew Nowicki. “In the process, they’re failing to deal with the emergency we face while ensuring we face a new one in the time to come. This is the exact opposite of what we need. We should be protecting our environment as the first line of defense against detriments to public health”
“For years we’ve seen Trump and his coal lobbyist EPA director undermining any environmental protections they can get their hands on,” said Justin Onwenu. “What we know is that especially in the midst of a global pandemic we need to protect public health in our communities. Michiganders see the true costs of Trump’s cuts throughout our state, especially in environmental justice communities that bear the brunt of these costs. It’s clear that protecting our air is not just a frivolous pursuit. A healthy environment for all communities is crucial, it’s what we all need to survive this crisis and the moments that come after.”
