Will Newark Get $100M For Lead Water Crisis? It’s Up To Trump

NEWARK, NJ — Will $100 million in funding make its way to Newark to help the city with its ongoing water woes? It’s up to President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill that aims to help communities across the country, including Newark, remove lead from their drinking water. The Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act — originally sponsored by former Newark mayor and 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker — now heads to Trump’s desk.

If the president signs it into law, the bill would give states facing a threat to public health from lead in drinking water the flexibility to make a one-time transfer of the federal funds in their Clean Water State Revolving Fund to their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for projects that will remove lead from drinking water.

New Jersey would be able to transfer up to $100 million in federal funds to help ease the financial impact of a massive effort to replace lead service pipes in 18,000 Newark homes, the suspected culprit behind the contamination.

Normally, replacing lead service lines can be an expensive process, with the average cost of replacement ranging between $4,000 and $10,000. Recently, the project got a major boost when Essex County helped the city to obtain $120 million in loans to pay for the job.

The funding influx will turbocharge the effort, which is now expected to take up to 30 months instead of a decade. The money will also help residents replace the lead service lines in their homes at no cost, city officials said.

• See related article: Newark Replacing Lead Pipes In Homes; 800 Done, 17000 To Go
• See related article: Newark Mayor Tells Trump: We Need Safe Water, Not A Border Wall

Sen. Booker and fellow New Jerseyan Sen. Bob Menendez — another sponsor of the Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act — said the bill would give a big boost to the state’s largest city in a time of urgent need.

Booker and Menendez urged President Trump to put the pedal to the metal and sign the effort into law.

“Every American should have access to safe, clean drinking water, and this legislation will allow New Jersey to provide Newark with substantial funding as Newark moves to rapidly replace lead service lines,” Booker said.

“I urge the president to sign this into law as soon as it reaches his desk to help states make critical repairs and upgrades to their aging drinking water systems,” Booker added.

Menendez also urged Trump to sign the bill “without delay” and give residents of the Brick City some much-deserved assistance.

“The federal government has a role in ensuring that each family has access to safe, clean drinking water,” Menendez said.

U.S. Reps. Donald Payne Jr. and Albio Sires of New Jersey — who recently stood alongside Booker and Menendez to demand federal funding for Newark’s water crisis — voted to pass the bill.

• See related article: 4 NJ Democrats Want Federal Funds For Newark's Lead Water Crisis

TRUMP AND NEWARK

Newark and Trump have had a rocky relationship since he became president.

Protests that evoke Trump’s name have been taking place regularly in the city since he emerged victorious against Hillary Clinton and his other challengers in 2016. Many Newark residents have clashed with the president’s views on immigration, holding rallies in support of sanctuary cities, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and keeping undocumented families together at the southern border.

• See related article: Newark Protests In Wake Of Trump Presidential Victory
• See related article: Rutgers Newark Students Worry After Trump Victory
• See related article: New Jersey 'Dreamers' Attend Trump's 1st State Of Union
• See related article: Will Newark's 'Sanctuary' Stance On Immigration Draw Trump's Wrath?

On Saturday, Sept. 21, Newark-based activist group People’s Organization for Progress (POP) will march and rally to impeach Trump. Participants will assemble at noon near the Lincoln Monument at 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark, across the street from Essex County College.

According to a statement from the group, its members have marched against Trump every year since his election, and have stepped up their voter registration efforts to help beat him in 2020.

POP founding chairman Lawrence Hamm said Trump is the “most polarizing occupant in the White House” in modern times.

“Let’s make New Jersey an ‘Impeach Trump’ state,” Hamm said.

President Trump has taken his own shots at the Brick City. Shortly after Booker announced his campaign against Trump in 2020, the president mocked his POTUS chances, commenting that the senator “ran Newark into the ground” during his time as mayor.

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