Stop the Great Lakes funding cut proposal
By almost any measure, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a success. So why is the Trump administration working to undermine it?
Over the President’s objection, we persuaded Congress to fully fund the Great Lakes cleanup effort. But the Administration has an insidious plan to not spend the money anyway. Help block the proposal and protect the Great Lakes.
A Devious Threat to Great Lakes Cleanup Efforts
Thanks to the efforts of environmentally conscious people across the country, Congress voted last month to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for the year ahead.
President Trump signed the bill, but the President and some of his allies in Congress aren’t taking “yes” for an answer. They may be about to use an underhanded method to slash the funds.1 Their plan: To simply not spend the money that Congress budgeted.
The Great Lakes restoration funds were approved as part of a classic “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” deal to secure the 60 votes needed to pass budget bills in the Senate. But under an obscure law, the Senate can rescind spending it’s already approved with just 50 votes plus the Vice President.
The Trump administration just announced its first proposed cuts, which spared the Great Lakes funds. But they also said that they’ll soon propose a second round, aimed at programs Congress just approved — and that could put the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative right in the crosshairs.
Last year, they tried to cut the program entirely. We stopped them.
This year, they tried to cut it by 90 percent. We stopped them again.
How You Can Help
With your help, we can stop them a third time in the weeks ahead — and in every budget in the years to come.
By donating to Environmental Action, you will enable us to:
- Educate the public about the threats to the Great Lakes.
- Continue organizing support for the Great Lakes, showing Congress that funding the cleanup of the Great Lakes is a great investment for our country.
- Keep running other critical campaigns to protect clean air and water, wildlife, and wild places.
We can’t slow down now — donate today.
1. Nancy Cook and Matthew Nussbaum, “Trump may try to claw back as much as $60 billion from spending bill“, Politico, April 13, 2018.