As part of his budget proposal announced Monday, President Trump wants to slash funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 90 percent.
The GLRI includes over 4,000 projects in nine states, including things like keeping invasive Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes and monitoring levels of the hazardous chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS.
President Trump proposes cutting the GLRI's budget from $298 million to $30 million. However, Howard Lerner with the Environmental Law & Policy Center says it has widespread support.
"This is where we live, where we work and where we play," Lerner says. "The support for the Great Lakes is bipartisan; it's actually non-partisan."
This is the third year in a row that President Trump has proposed a cut to the GLRI's budget. So far, Congress has restored most of the funding each year.
