By MICHAEL BASTASCH
President Donald Trump will recommend cutting the EPA budget 31 percent.
Trump will release his “skinny budget” Thursday morning, broadly laying out the White House’s budget request. Trump will push for a $2.6 billion cut to EPA’s budget, congressional staffers familiar with the request told NYT.
Previous reporting indicated Trump wanted to cut EPA’s budget 25 percent, or $2 billion, and reduce its staff by 20 percent, or 3,000 employees. But in the last couple of days, sources told reporters the cuts would likely be deeper.
Trump is expected to cut dozens of EPA global warming programs, funding to environmental groups and state grants. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said he would push to protect grants to states for environmental cleanup and water infrastructure.