Trump Budget Cuts Would Gut Our Ability to Protect Americans’ Health

Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp – May 22, 2017

May 22, 2017
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget is a full-scale attack on America’s most fundamental health and safety protections. It would gut our ability to keep our air and water clean, and would put the health of all Americans at risk.

“According to news reports, the proposed budget would slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s funding by 31 percent, even though it has already been cut to the bone – in real dollars, the agency’s budget is at almost its lowest level in 40 years.

“President Trump has proposed this draconian budget in spite of the fact that 60 percent of American voters oppose cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget – and 78 percent of Trump voters want the same or stronger clean air protections. Fouling our air and water will not make America great again.

“President Trump’s budget shows a hostility to the programs that keep our air and water clean. The result will be more asthma attacks for our kids, more health problems for elderly Americans, and more pollution in our communities. We hope Members of Congress recognize the dangers of this budget proposal and choose to protect our bedrock environmental safeguards.”   

            - Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund 

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