Republicans join Democrats against Trump's Great Lakes cuts

Kill funding of a regional environmental cleanup that has lasted seven years and cost the federal government more than $2 billion, with no end in sight.

[...] it underscores the resistance Trump may encounter to some spending cuts he is proposing for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Interior and other agencies that draw frequent attacks from congressional Republicans yet fund projects and services with support back home.

Asked for more details, EPA released a statement saying the plan "reflects the president's priorities" and that Administrator Scott Pruitt "is committed to leading the EPA in a more effective, more focused, less costly way as we partner with states to fulfill the agency's core mission."

Coincidentally, the budget plan was released as about 100 Great Lakes advocates paid a yearly visit to Washington, D.C., in support of the restoration initiative.

While Democratic lawmakers excoriated Trump's proposal — "incredibly short-sighted and reckless," said Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan — Republicans noted that former President Barack Obama at times recommended more modest reductions to the initiative, which Congress rejected.

Among them: efforts to prevent Asian carp from invading the lakes, prevent nutrient runoff that feeds harmful algal blooms, rebuild wetlands where fish spawn and remove sediments laced with PCBs and other toxins.