The painful truth about America has emerged with the poisoned water in Flint, Mich. Top state and federal officials, including Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and regional Environmental Protection Agency officials, knew more than a year ago that residents of Flint were being harmed by toxic levels of lead in the city’s water supply. Yet, they did nothing to stop it.

The situation in Flint has been compared to that of Third World nations. Critics also have used the word “genocide” in describing the deliberate and unabated damage done to the city of nearly 100,000 people, 57 percent of whom are African-American and 40 percent of whom are poor.

Despite widespread public concern and outrage that has motivated people across the nation to ship bottled water to Flint residents, Gov. Snyder twice now has dodged requests to appear before Congress to answer questions about the debacle.

All too often, environmental injustices are heaped upon poor and black communities with little accountability or consequence. Here and now, we add our voice to those demanding a full investigation by the U.S. attorney general and the FBI, with possible criminal charges filed against those who are responsible for this public health crisis.

We applaud Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the physician who first raised red flags after finding elevated lead levels in Flint children, and Virginia Tech Professor Marc Edwards, whose independent tests of residents’ water proved the lead hazard that EPA and state officials wanted to hide. They are the heroes who refused to be deterred in the face of widespread wrongdoing. They persevered because they genuinely care about people and the public good and view their work as an extension of that.

We also recognize the work of Detroit Free Press photographer Regina H. Boone, daughter of our own Free Press publisher and president, Jean Patterson Boone, and the late Raymond H. Boone Sr., our crusading founder. Ms. Boone’s excellent work in the Detroit media was featured recently in TIME magazine and has sensitized the world to what happened in Flint.

Most importantly, we ask that the public not forget the children and adults of Flint, the innocents who may suffer the consequences of lead poisoning for years to come. The government and agencies that were designed to protect them failed them, turning them into victims who may suffer neurological damage for the rest of their lives.

What do we owe them? What can the nation do in recompense?

In addition to replacing the deadly lead-laden pipes and providing clean, safe water to the people of Flint, we, as a nation, have an obligation to pay the cost of Flint residents’ health care into the future. We also have a moral obligation to provide screening services to detect any developmental disabilities for children, specialized education for youngsters with problems, as well as counseling and additional resources for families to help them deal with any long-term effects of exposure.

Some belated steps are being taken. Late Wednesday, Gov. Snyder proposed spending $360 million to update water pipes in Flint and across the state. The Michigan legislature already has approved $37 million for stopgap measures, including funds for bottled water, filters, testing and other services.

But that is not enough.

This is more than just an infrastructure problem. This is a human problem. We call on Congress to act with urgency to make funds available to the people of Flint to address this shameful situation.