WASHINGTON – President Trump has proposed a budget that should be welcomed by chemical and pesticide makers and their lobbyists, though it would make ordinary Americans suffer from cuts to public health and environmental protections and child nutrition programs, said EWG President Ken Cook.
The White House is pushing for dramatic cuts to Environmental Protection Agency programs that protect people from toxic pesticides and chemicals, as well as initiatives to combat air and water pollution. Trump’s proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would deprive struggling families of the already-meager support they need to feed themselves.
Here is Cook’s full statement:
The eyes of pesticide and chemical industry executives should well up with tears of joy after reading what the Trump administration has in store for them. This isn’t a budget – it’s a roadmap for the President, EPA Administrator Pruitt and polluters to see that millions of Americans drink dirtier water, breathe more polluted air and don't have enough nutritious food to lead healthy lives.
The impacts of this proposal would fall hardest on children. More kids will suffer life-threatening asthma attacks and be exposed to pesticides and other toxic chemicals in their water and food that can harm their brains. The president’s proposed cuts to vital anti-hunger programs like SNAP will literally take food from the mouths of babies, by making it even harder for struggling parents to feed their families.
With each cut in EPA funding, each regulatory rollback, each special favor for polluters, it becomes more clear that for President Trump, public health protection is not a priority, but a target.
