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Michigan’s US Senators are denouncing President Trump’s proposed cuts to Great Lakes funding in his latest budget proposal.
Trump has once again proposed cutting funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 90 percent.
The president called for an identical cut from $300 million down to $30 million last year but Congress restored the funding for Great Lakes cleanup projects.
Senator Debbie Stabenow is co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force and vowed once again to lead the fight to restore the funds. “The Trump Administration just doesn’t get it and is once again gutting funding for the Great Lakes,” said Stabenow. “Just like last year, and the year before, the people of Michigan will make their voices heard and I will lead the bipartisan fight to restore every penny.”
Senator Gary Peters said he has seen firsthand how the funding has helped protect the Great Lakes from invasive species, pollution and climate change. Peters added, “The Administration’s proposal to nearly eliminate funding for the GLRI would severely hurt our ability to clean, preserve and restore our waterways. Just as I did before, I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure Congress fully funds the GLRI and that these proposed reductions never see the light of day.”
The Great Lakes reduction is part of a $2.8 billion decrease in proposed funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and part of an overall 5 percent reduction in non-defense spending.
