Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder fired back at Hillary Clinton and other critics, who have publicly condemned him over his handling of the water crisis in Flint that has exposed the entire community to toxic levels of lead.

The Republican governor is being criticized for his role in the man-made water fiasco.

The drinking water in Flint, a municipality that is 56 percent black and one of the poorest cities in the nation, first became contaminated with lead after one of Snyder's appointees decided to start using the Flint River as a water supply in April 2014 to save money. That's when community members began complaining that their tap water had a nasty smell and taste, and caused rashes.

For months, state officials brushed off concerns, telling locals that the water was safe to use for bathing and cooking. However, an independent research study conducted in February 2015 discovered elevated levels of toxic lead in children's blood in the area, which can cause irreversible behavioral problems and learning disabilities.

Months later, Gov. Snyder decided to switch the water supply from the Flint River back to Lake Huron in October. Since then, free water filters and bottled water have been distributed to residents.

The ongoing crisis is now making national headlines as activists like filmmaker Michael Moore and Democratic leaders like 2016 hopeful Bernie Sanders call on Snyder to resign. Some even call for the governor's arrest.

At Sunday's Democratic debate, Clinton blasted the Republican governor for mishandling the fiasco, saying "every single American should be outraged," reports ABC News. She also implied that Michigan officials ignored the toxic drinking water in Flint because the majority of the residents are poor people of color.

"If the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action," she said. The Democratic front-runner added that Snyder "acted as though he really didn't care" about Flint residents and "basically stonewalled" on initial requests for help.

In response, Snyder dismissed his critics and Clinton's comments.

"Political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis," he tweeted after the debate.

"Obviously, I care," he told The Detroit News Monday morning, following a Martin Luther King Day event in Flint. "I'm here today. We've done a number of actions. We're going to keep working on putting solutions in place."

He also accused critics of "politicizing" the issue.

"We're going to keep working on putting solutions in place," Snyder said. "And what I would say is politicizing the issue doesn't help matters. Let's focus in on the solution and how to deal with the damage that was done and help the citizens of Flint and make Flint a stronger community."

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