Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org or 202-670-5585
WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the Trump Administration released the president’s 2020 budget proposal, and it includes deep cuts to virtually every program in government that protects Americans from environmental threats, including an outrageous 31% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency and massive cuts to other critical agencies, including 14% to the Department of Interior.
The Trump budget would cut $410 million from programs that protect iconic bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, and Great Lakes.
Meanwhile, Trump is asking Congress for an enormous increase in unnecessary military spending, as well as $8.6 billion for a border wall after just losing a government shutdown fight over exactly the same issue.
Trump’s cuts come just a year after the Republican party’s $1.5 trillion tax cut giveaway to the richest people and corporations in the country.
In response, Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“This budget is a statement of Trump’s priorities, and we just learned yet again that Trump could not care less about the real public health and environmental challenges our nation must urgently address. Trump’s dirty budget makes clear he wants to sacrifice the protection of our air, our water, our public lands, and our health just to fund billions in tax cuts for the rich and rusty steel slats that would tear apart our borderlands. This is a signal from Trump that he once again could threaten to throw millions of lives into turmoil just so he can try to force through a plan to gut agencies that protect public health and throw $8.6 billion at his border wall boondoggle.
“Thankfully, the public is strongly opposed to Trump’s plans. Congress must act to protect the critical programs Trump wants to destroy by unequivocally rejecting this rigged budget, the border wall boondoggle, and any toxic policy riders that have no business in budget legislation.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.