Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures towards Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton during the NBC, YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

(Mic Smith)

FLINT, MI - Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will come to Flint for a debate March 6 as the city remains in the midst of an ongoing water crisis.

The Democratic National Committee announced the Flint debate, and three others, Wednesday, Feb. 3. It came on the heels of state and federal officials' testimony to a U.S. House Committee on the city's water crisis.

"America has witnessed the man-made public health disaster inflicted upon the city of Flint, and we applaud Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for their efforts to shine a light on the crisis, especially when our Republican governor has done everything he can to keep Michigan's citizens in the dark," said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon. "Holding a presidential debate in Flint will bring further into focus the issues faced by working families here in Michigan and around the country."

Dillon said officials were still working to finalize a location for the debate, which is scheduled two days prior to the state's primary vote.

The Clinton campaign called for a debate Jan. 30 in the city that is currently in the national spotlight due to its water crisis.

"We should use the spotlight of the presidential campaign to keep the focus on Flint, and to lift up the historic underlying issues that Flint and too many other predominately low-income communities of color across America are struggling with every day," Clinton campaign chair John Podesta said.

The announcement of a debate in Flint comes after a tight race in Iowa that saw Clinton barely defeat Sanders for the first contest of the 2016 race. Both candidates have made comments on the Flint water situation during the race.

Sanders has gone as far as to call for Gov. Rick Snyder to resign over the city's water crisis.

"There are no excuses. The governor long ago knew about the lead in Flint's water. He did nothing. As a result, hundreds of children were poisoned. Thousands may have been exposed to potential brain damage from lead. Gov. Snyder should resign," said Sanders in a statement on his website.

Clinton previously discussed the water issue during a debate in Charleston, S.C., and penned an op-ed for MSNBC.

"What's happening in Flint, Michigan, is unconscionable." Clinton wrote. "A city of 99,000 people -- 56 percent African-American, 40 percent living below the poverty line -- has spent nearly two years with poisoned water. Nearly two years of boil orders, foul smells and false reassurances that the water was safe to drink."

More than 100 people left Flint Tuesday by bus to head to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for Wednesday's hearing about Flint's water crisis.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee told the committee that the state of Michigan is ultimately responsible for elevated levels of lead in the city's water.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, said that Democrats on the committee signed a document demanding that its Republican chair order Gov. Rick Snyder to testify in front of it.

Cummings, the committee's ranking member, said he requested Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, to order Snyder's presence and documents related to the crisis. However, he claims the chair declined.

Snyder was in Flint Wednesday to announce $30 million for future credits to residents' water bills.

"One of the things I've heard the feedback and one of the reasons to do this announcement today is because of the great concern and attention to water bills in this community," Snyder said. Snyder said in Flint that he would "seriously look at" testifying before Congress on the Flint water crisis.

The relief Snyder announced would be credited on future bills, potentially by June. Snyder said the amount would represent approximately 65 percent of residents' water bills, not counting the sewer portion of their amounts.

The city is in the national spotlight after elevated blood lead levels were discovered in some Flint children after the city changed its water source from Lake Huron water purchased from the Detroit water system to the Flint River in April 2014, a decision made while the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager.

State regulators never required that the river water be treated to make it less corrosive, causing lead from plumbing and pipes to leach into the water supply.

Even though the city reconnected to the Detroit water system in October, local and state officials have warned pregnant women and young children against using the water unless it has been tested because lead levels continue to exceed what can be handled by a filter.

Gary Ridley can be reached at 810-280-9516. You can also follow him on Twitter @GaryRidley or on Facebook.