WH increases proposed cut to the EPA: report

The White House will increase its proposed cut to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget when it releases its spending outline on Thursday, according to a new report. 

The Trump administration will propose a 31 percent cut to the EPA’s $8.1 billion budget when it releases its budget outline, The New York Times reports. That’s higher than the 24 percent reduction the White House proposed in its earliest budget outlines.

The proposal will be part of a budget draft that contains deep spending cuts to many federal domestic spending accounts. The White House is aiming to reduce domestic discretionary spending by $54 billion in order to pay for an equal increase in federal defense spending. 

{mosads}Lawmakers are likely to balk at several aspects of that budget plan. Key appropriators have said they’re uneasy with the size of the potential EPA cuts — and that was before the White House increased them — and other members have said they’ll oppose deep cuts to the State Department budget, as well.

The Times reports that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt pushed the White House to reduce its proposed cut to the agency’s budget. He asked officials for $7 billion, according to the report, but the White House instead will propose $5.7 billion in spending for the agency.