Slaughter campaign: Maggie Brooks lied to voters about plans to cut lead poisoning prevention funding

Posted at: 10/23/2012 5:30 PM

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's campaign is calling out her opponent, Maggie Brooks, for lying about plans to cut lead poisoning prevention funding.

Slaughter's campaign says in August of 2011, Brooks told voters that she was committed to protecting city residents from lead poisoning. But in an article from November of 2011, Slaughter's campaign says Brooks proposed eliminating the county's $440,000 annual contribution to the Rochester's lead inspection effort. The proposal was part of an effort to close the county's $51.5 million budget deficit

"Maggie Brooks balanced her budget on the backs of kids at risk for lead poisoning," said Eric Walker, Slaughter campaign spokesman. "If she's willing to cut lead poisoning funding for our kids here in Monroe County, what can we expect from her in Washington?

Brooks responded saying, "After 26-years in Washington, Louise Slaughter never lets the facts get in the way of a false partisan attack. When I ran for County Legislature in 1995, children with lead poisoning in our community numbered nearly 4,000. Since then, we've reduced those cases to less than 400 and we remain as committed as ever to keeping our kids safe. Now that Mrs. Slaughter has stooped to playing politics with children's health, she just keeps proving that she's not for us, anymore."

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