Congresswomen emphasize water as a human right in push to renew COVID-era water assistance program

Congresswomen emphasize water as a human right in push to renew COVID-era water assistance program

U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) speak at a press conference for their two bills to re-fund the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program. June 16, 2026. | Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance. Speaking at a Dearborn Heights press conference Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) relied heavily on the framework of water as a human right in explaining the need …

Dingell, Tlaib urge permanent federal water assistance: ‘A basic human right’

U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) are backing legislation that would create universal drinking water access for low-income households and provide $500 million for a COVID-era federal water assistance program. Civic Action Toolbox Why it matters Advocates say rising water bills are forcing Metro Detroit families to choose between paying for water and affording food or heat, with shutoffs threatening acc…