President Joe Biden will give his State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 7 at 8:00 p.m. CST. You can watch live coverage below:
Milwaukee mother who fought lead exposure invited to President Biden’s State of the Union
MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother who advocates against lead exposure will be in attendance as a guest of the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden
Deanna Branch, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident who spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to the city in 2022, told the story of her family’s lead exposure. This resonated with the Vice President and eventually, with the First Lady, who brought her in as one of 25 special guests from around the world. Branch is the only individual from this panel who is representing Wisconsin.
“Branch is working to build a lead safe environment for her community after her son Aidan battled lead poisoning as a result of unsafe levels of lead in their drinking water and home,” a statement from The White House read.
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In 2022, Branch shared her story with TMJ4. A pediatrician noticed dangerously-high lead levels in Branch’s three-year-old son and urged her to take him into the Children’s Hospital immediately. The family was forced to move out of its home as the contaminated water posed a threat to the Milwaukee mother and her children alike.
TMJ4 reported that the City of Milwaukee is working to replace 67,000 lead laterals at an estimated $750 million, which is estimated to take the city decades to complete.
The Biden Administration has made a commitment to replace lead services across the country as part of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act that was signed by Congress in 2021. An estimated $255 million should be allocated to the state of Wisconsin to speed up this process
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