Kansas state Attorney General Kris Kobach is staking an… interesting position. In comments posted to X (the social media platform formerly called Twitter), Kobach complained about federal ambitions targeting the lead pipes that remain in place in the United States. He suggested that the benefits from replacing such pipes may be “speculative”… which isn’t true.
“Biden wants to replace lead pipes. He failed to mention that the unfunded mandate sets an almost impossible timeline, will cost billions, infringe on the rights of the States and their residents – all for benefits that may be entirely speculative,” Kobach wrote online on Thursday, the night that the president gave his latest “State of the Union” address before Congress. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg corrected Kobach from his official account.
“The benefit of *not being lead poisoned* is not speculative. It is enormous. And because lead poisoning leads to irreversible cognitive harm, massive economic loss, and even higher crime rates, this work represents one of the best returns on public investment ever observed,” Buttigieg posted.
The Cabinet member has conducted a series of interviews touting successes from the Biden administration and Democrats, addressing questions including the president and anticipated Democratic nominee’s advanced age and failures so far to act legislatively on the border due to Republican opposition. Buttigieg also continues highlighting the infrastructure spending deal successfully enacted during earlier parts of Biden’s tenure, which continues fueling an expansive series of projects — tens of thousands, reportedly — around the United States.
“The United States Senate right now could be acting to help secure the southern border,” Buttigieg remarked this past Sunday on ABC. “As a matter of fact, they very nearly did, with negotiations that included very conservative Republicans and Democrats and had support from the White House reaching a package that frankly involved tough compromises for all sides. Something that the bases of both parties might not have loved but that would have made a real, positive difference, only for that to be killed by the chill effect that the former president put on Congressional Republicans.”
