Federal funding for the Great Lakes has survived again thanks to Congress. This is the second time the Trump Administration proposed a big cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Congress restored it in full – $300 million a year.
Since 2009, the initiative has funded thousands of projects that help the Great Lakes by cleaning up pollution, combating invasive species, and protecting wetlands. And it has received support from Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, says the public-private partnership helps protect the environment -- and the economy.
The House passed a $1.3 trillion budget Thursday, and The Senate is expected to act on it by the end of this week.
The bill increases funding for the USDA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – agencies that are important to the Great Lakes. The Environmental Protection Agency’s budget remains the same, despite deep proposed cuts from Trump.