Trump wants to kill the EPA’s environmental justice program

A deeper dive into President Trump’s proposed budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveals that the environmental justice program won’t make the cut. The Office of Environmental Justice addresses the disproportionate environmental burdens borne by low-income, minority, and indigenous communities. If axed by Trump, the EPA would no longer provide funding and technical help to some of America’s most vulnerable populations, communities confronted with hazards such as leaking oil tanks or pollution from chemical plants. Mustafa Ali, the head of the agency’s environmental justice program, resigned in March after 24 years. Later, Ali explained his departure to ThinkProgress: 

“I started to see some of these proposals for rolling back regulations that are critical for these communities… When I saw that, and knowing the science behind these regulations and how important they are, it made me come to the conclusion that either folks just don’t get it, because they haven’t had the opportunity to be educated enough, or you’re not prioritizing the lives of the folks who are in these communities. And I just couldn’t be a part of that.”