President's Budget is Important Step for Public Health, Environment

WASHINGTON (February 2, 2015)—President Obama’s new budget proposal would start closing the books on a sad chapter in recent U.S. history, in which Congress slashed investments in our parks and other natural resources – while depriving the Environmental Protection Agency of the necessary funds to fully enforce our basic environmental protection laws.

The following is a statement by Scott Slesinger, legislative director at the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“This budget is an important first step toward rebuilding the ability to protect our air, waters and lands and to continue to deal with climate change.  In the past five years, EPA, for example, has suffered a 27 percent real cut in funding. This budget will be a test to see if the Republican leadership has anything to offer besides spending cuts and riders to block environmental progress.”