While American Children in Inner Cities Drink Lead-Infested Water, America Funds Genocide.
In 2024 alone, the US has funded Apartheid Israel's war crimes to the tune of nearly $18 billion.
In October 2024, Baltimore City and County submitted a list of their initial inventories of roughly 335,000 water pipes made of unknown materials that need to be checked for lead. This action was pursuant to a new EPA rule for municipalities to replace all their lead pipes in 10 years. This rule comes a decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.1
The EPA estimates that the stricter standards will help save lives by preventing 900,000 infants from having low birthweight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths a year from heart disease.2
According to the EPA, no amount of lead is safe in our drinking water. It is a so-called neurotoxin that causes behavioral problems and brain damage. Lead lowers IQ scores in children, students’ development and increases blood pressure in adults.
The causal effects of lead exposure on criminal behavior continue to be studied, and there is ample evidence that lead exposure, particularly in communities of color, has contributed to the significant challenges these communities face.3
While this fact has been known for decades, EPA Administrator Michael Regan stated that “over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across the country.”4
Imagine, being a parent, seeing your children drink from a lead-infested water every day? How would you feel? What would you do?
In 2021, the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan included $45 billion to replace lead pipes across the nation. Critics argue that this amount is insufficient, and they are correct.5
Knowing that these pipes are literally poisoning children and causing immense pain and suffering, why has America delayed action for so long? Second, why set a target of ten years when these pipes should be removed much sooner?
While it is true that more money cannot solve every issue, this is not one of those cases. Additional funding could provide the capacity needed to accelerate the process. If the government claims it lacks sufficient funds to support this program, why?
Since October 7, 2023, America has given Apartheid Israel tens of billions of dollars to wage the first live-streamed genocide in human history. Every single American taxpayer has contributed to this genocide.
According to US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), which developed a webpage called “Not My Tax Dollars” that maps out the amount of money contributed by cities and counties across the nation, in 2024 alone, the US Government has supported Apartheid Israel to the tune of $17.9 billion.6
Maryland alone has sent nearly $375 million to fund this genocide. We do this while the state faces $3 billion in budget deficits including, $300 million in 2025 alone. 7
USCPR’s analysis also looked at how much money U.S. cities contributed to the genocide. Howard County alone has contributed a minimum of $18.1 million to fund this genocide: Columbia: $7,055,118, Ellicott City: $4,607,878, Laurel: $1,920,222, Ilchester: $1,639,478, Elkridge: $1,469,550, Scaggsville: 563,037, Savage: $499,960, Jessup: $279,881, and Highland: $62,387.
One of the unfortunate realities of our political system is that the people impacted the most by laws and policy are not typically involved when those laws and policy decisions are made. Policymakers respond to the needs of those with economic and political power much more expeditiously. The poisoning of babies by allowing these lead pipes to stay in the ground one more day is a policy decision. Policymakers have intentionally deprioritized this crisis to fund a genocide. In doing so these politicians cater to the needs of the most powerful.
Those with economic and political power can change this dynamic. One way that they can ramp up this sense of urgency is by putting ourselves in the shoes of the most impacted when we exert our power. Yes, the crumbs and incremental change are acceptable to those with economic and political power, because ultimately they are the least impacted.
The Gaza genocide could have been prevented had those with economic and political power demanded that we invest our hard-earned tax payer dollars on educating, feeding, and healing babies instead of slaughtering them. This is a moral stain on our society.
Like the genocide, the poisoning of our black children in inner cities is as much of a moral stain.
Baltimore-area Public Works officials submit reports on lead water pipes to federal government. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/lead-pipe-reports-baltimore-dpw-epa/63044671
Biden sets a 10-year deadline for cities to replace lead pipes and make drinking water safer. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/biden-lead-pipe-replacement-deadline/62539870
Research Roundup: Lead Exposure Causes Crime. https://www.niskanencenter.org/research-roundup-lead-exposure-causes-crime/
Biden sets a 10-year deadline for cities to replace lead pipes and make drinking water safer. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/biden-lead-pipe-replacement-deadline/62539870
Research Roundup: Lead Exposure Causes Crime. https://www.niskanencenter.org/research-roundup-lead-exposure-causes-crime/
Where do my tax dollars go? https://www.notmytaxdollars.org
Governor’s budget proposal to include tax cuts and ‘growth agenda’ spending. https://marylandmatters.org/2025/01/14/governors-budget-proposal-to-include-tax-cuts-and-growth-agenda-spending/