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Wisconsin Senators oppose Trump cuts to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Wisconsin’s Senators are criticizing a proposed funding cut for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Democrat Tammy Baldwin says President Donald Trump’s budget outline released earlier this week would cut the program’s funding from 300-million dollars down to 30-million dollars for 2019.

Baldwin says the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has helped combat the introduction and spread of invasive species including Asian carp and zebra mussels, as well as clean up polluted sites while contributing around 12 billion dollars in economic impact from tourism.  Baldwin says she will try to keep GLRI funding in the final budget.

Efforts to cut the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative have been blocked by House and Senate members from both parties before.  Republican Senator Ron Johnson says he expects they will need to do so again.