FLINT, MI -- Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang doesn’t believe Flint’s water system has been fixed. but he’s willing to bet the well-being of his own children that he will make it right.

In an interview with “The Root,” Yang, an entrepreneur and Democratic presidential candidate, called Flint’s water crisis a national tragedy and embarrassment. He also said it should be the subject of a deeper federal investigation, and that racism is at the heart of why all lead service lines in the city haven’t yet been removed and replaced already.

Yang said the federal government should ensure the purity of the drinking water here, and offered to prove his commitment to that as president by drinking from the tap himself and having his two children do the same -- after the work is done.

Yang has two kids who are 6 and 3 that will one day drink from the tap, he said in “The Root” interview.

The New York Times describes Yang as a well-connected New York businessman whose run for president is a “longer-than-long-shot bid for the White House."

His campaign has gained attention in part because of his plan to a program to provide universal basic income of $1,000 per month for every American adult over the age of 18, paid for by a new tax on the companies benefiting most from automation.

Flint’s water has tested within federal guidelines for lead for more than two years, but lead levels spiked during the water crisis in 2014 and 2015 when the city’s water source was changed to the Flint River and the water was not treated to make it less corrosive to lead pipes and plumbing.

Since that time, using state and federal funds, the city has excavated or removed most damaged lead service lines in Flint -- work that’s expected to be completed later this year.