AG Kris Kobach gets into Twitter spat with Transportation Secretary over lead pipes

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sparred with transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg on X, formerly known as Twitter, over a plan to modernize lead piping.

President Joe Biden mentioned his administration's focus on lead pipes during his State of the Union Address. Kobach joined a 15-state coalition of state attorneys general demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency drop a potential rule that would ultimately require the replacement of more than 9 million lead pipes.

"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 posted.

A community note on the post, which are user-generated and attached to posts with factual errors, noted that lead is a potent neurotoxin. Buttigieg responded to Kobach's tweet the next day.

"The benefit of *not being lead poisoned* is not speculative. It is enormous," Buttigieg responded. "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's tweet amassed half a billion views and garnered more than 18,000 likes. Kobach again responded that the rule doesn't impact lead piping within buildings, only the connecting infrastructure. He later clarified that he supports replacing lead pipes.

"Replacing lead pipes is good. The question is should Biden force you to spend up to $28K against your will to replace the lead pipes leading to and in your home. Biden isn’t paying for it. He’s ordering you to pay for it," Kobach posted.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kobach and Buttigieg argue about lead pipe replacement on Twitter