U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Joins Bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force Letter Expressing Concern about Trump Administration's Reported 97 Percent Cut to Great Lakes Funding

Press Release

As a member of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Task Force Co-Chairs Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) in sending a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt expressing concern about reports that the Trump Administration's 2018 budget request will include a 97 percent cut to Great Lakes funding. Great Lakes Task Force Vice Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Task Force members Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bob Casey (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) also signed the letter.

"As members of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, we are writing to express our great concern about reports that the Environmental Protection Agency's Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget might include drastic cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program, which enjoys bipartisan and bicameral support," the Senators wrote. "It is our understanding that an initial budget blueprint only included $10 million for the Initiative, which if accurate, would be 97 percent below the $300 million Congress appropriated in FY 2016 and in previous fiscal years."

"As part of your confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, we were pleased by the clear support you expressed for the program in response to a question submitted for the record," the Senators went on to say. "As you begin your tenure as EPA Administrator, we hope that you will continue to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by fully funding this program in the upcoming budget request."

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