The budget proposal the Trump administration sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for the coming fiscal year would cut the agency’s budget by 25%.
According to a report from Reuters, the budget proposal would reduce the agency’s overall budget to $6.1 billion by targeting climate change initiatives and enforcement programs.
Among the cuts proposed according to Reuters:
- Grants to states for lead cleanup would be cut by 30%
- Grants to designed to help Native American tribes fight pollution would be cut 30%
- An agency climate protection program designed to lower greenhouse gases would be cut 70%
Staffing cuts are also included in the budget proposal. The budget proposes reducing EPA’s workforce by 20%, bringing the total number of federal employees at the agency down to 12,400.
The proposed cuts at agencies like the EPA are part of a broader effort in the budget proposal to increase military spending by $54 billion.
The proposed cuts to EPA are actually much smaller than what was potentially indicated in previous forecasts. The former head of Trump’s EPA transition team said that that the agency’s workforce could be targeted for cuts as high as 50%.
The budget proposal from the White House is not final, and federal agencies can and likely will argue for more funding, certainly if they are facing cuts under the proposed budget. Finalized spending plans must be approved by Congress.
