Stabenow Statement on Cuts to Great Lakes Funding in President Trump’s Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a statement on the news that President Trump’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2019 nearly eliminates funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative:

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned, we can’t take it for granted that others understand how important our water is. This is outrageous. People across Michigan spoke out and took action last year to stop these cuts and I know they’ll do so again.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which Senator Stabenow authored in 2010 and has continued to champion, is critical to cleaning up the Great Lakes, beaches, and waterways and fighting invasive species like Asian carp. According to the University Research Corridor, more than 700,000 Michigan jobs, one in five in the state, are tied to water.

Despite strong bipartisan support in Congress for this program, President Trump’s budget only calls for $30 million in funding. Michigan projects have received more than $600 million in funding from this program since its establishment.