President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion federal budget for 2020 on Monday, including a 90 percent cut from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
That’s the third year in a row that trump has proposed either eliminating or cutting most of the program, which is used on projects to restore wetlands and improve water quality around the Great Lakes.
Trump’s budget called for a $270 million cut to the $300 million program.
“The Trump Administration just doesn’t get it and is once again gutting funding for the Great Lakes. 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,” said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force in a statement.
President Barack Obama established the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2009.
The program has pumped more than $2.2 billion into the eight-state region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms.
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