President Trump’s budget for 2018 includes dramatic funding cuts of more than 31% for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This would mean a 35% cut for the EPA’s operational budget for fiscal year 2018, and it would put a stop to state funding for environmental cleanup and nonpoint source pollution control, plus additional initiatives.
Trump’s first few months in office have sent a clear message that he views the organization as a hindrance to business, and that he feels the EPA is a stumbling block to progress and development.
Potential Consequences
Put into dollars, these cuts for the EPA total to about $2.6 billion, bringing the budget from $8.2 billion in fiscal year 2017 to $5.6 billion in 2018—the largest reduction for a significant Cabinet-sized agency. Cuts of this magnitude mean the shuttering of 50 or so programs and 3,200 of the agency’s 15,000 employees laid off.
It’s the science and technology programs that will see the greatest cuts, dropping from a budget of $733 million to $450 million. These numbers come from the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.
Other casualties include the Greenhouse Gas Reporting program (shut down), the Federal Vehicle Fuel Standards Certification program (cut by more than $17 million), the EPA’s Homeland Security Budget (zeroed out), and the agency’s air pollution office, which takes the biggest hit at a 67% cut ($91.7 million to just over $30 million).
There are a few other agencies receiving budget cuts for fiscal year 2018, but none nearly as severe as the EPA.
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