Trump Budget a Catastrophe for Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Jordan Lubetkin, lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Trump Budget a Catastrophe for Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health
Trump Budget a Catastrophe for Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 2, 2025)—Progress to restore the Great Lakes and protect the drinking water for more than 40 million people would be severely undermined by the Trump Administration’s proposed budget, calling for drastic cuts to core environmental and clean water programs.
Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:
“This proposed budget would be a catastrophe for the 40 million people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, health, jobs, and quality of life. Cutting or eliminating funding for Great Lakes programs that invest in water infrastructure and critical science and forecasting will threaten our communities, the Lakes, and our drinking water. These proposed cuts will not save taxpayer dollars, it will only cost more money in the long term by allowing existing challenges to continue and future threats to grow unchecked.
“We urge Congress to reject this irresponsible budget proposal and continue to invest in clean water programs that are producing results for communities across the region. Everyone deserves clean water, but right now too many cities and towns are dealing with health-threatening pollution. Congress needs to be doing more – not less – to help the communities that have been most impacted by pollution and environmental harm so that everyone has access to clean Lakes, healthy communities and affordable drinking water.”
Cuts in the proposed budget include:
$2.46 billion cut to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that help communities fix and update their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
$1.006 billion cut to programs that help states take action to meet community clean water goals.
$235 million cut to EPA research and development that protects the health of communities.
$100 million cut to EPA initiatives that address pollution concerns in communities facing disproportionate environmental harm.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on social media @HealthyLakes.
