Members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the U.S. Cabinet are gathering to hear President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union Tuesday night. But among their ranks will be a Galesburg woman, Sarah Miller.
Miller is a guest of Rep. Cheri Bustos. Bustos met Miller in 2016 when concern over lead in drinking water reached a fever pitch in Galesburg following a report from the Associated Press.
Knox County officials continue to believe that the greatest threat of lead to children came from paint and dust in homes but Millers was a home where lead service lines were causing water to be at or approaching hazardous levels.
The East Moline Democrat first met with Miller, after the Galesburg resident left a Facebook comment on Bustos’ page.
Bustos helped in securing $4 million in the form of a forgivable loan from the Environmental Protection Agency. Miller being a nursing student was unable to pay for a new service line but was able to get one from the loan the city secured.
Bustos says Miller’s story underscores why Congress needs to make a “major investment in infrastructure,” adding that “roads, bridges, inland waterways and drinking water infrastructure shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
Infrastructure is also expected to be a major theme of President Donald Trump’s speech.
Members of Congress will often to take a guest who is symbolizes a political point of view they favor. For example Rep. Joe Kennedy has invited a transgender soldier, Rep. Annie Kuster says she’s bringing along a victim of sexual assault.
