The Environmental Protection Agency, the agency charged with protecting our families from pollution, is currently at a funding level more than 50% lower in real dollars than it was in the late 1970s.
A lot has changed since then, especially when it comes to environmental threats. Every day we live in the proverbial shadow of advancing climate change. And every day families live in the literal shadow of fossil fuel and chemical operations that are making our kids sick. Our population has grown exponentially, yet the Trump administration proposes slashing the EPA budget even more in FY 2019.
The EPA is tasked with protecting public health and the environment. That includes important programs like “Superfund” — which requires polluting industries to clean up toxic waste in our communities. Millions of families currently live within three miles from a Superfund site, putting them at risk of significant health issues if these sites are not properly handled. Superfund is just one of the crucial EPA programs on the chopping block. These budget cuts are putting our children’s future at risk — from increased smog exposure and asthma attacks to out-of-control greenhouse gas emissions that advance climate change.
Trump may be on a rampage to cut programs that don’t suit his misguided priorities, but it’s Congress that sets the budget. We must demand that our representatives put the communities, families, and children that they represent first by not passing a budget that includes further cuts to the EPA. Our children’s lives depend on it.
Moms across the country must rise together and speak out against these threats to our kids’ health and future. It’s our job as caretakers for the next generation to make sure that the EPA is able to do its job and keep them safe.
TELL CONGRESS: I DISAPPROVE OF EPA’S AGENDA TO MAKE AMERICA DIRTY AGAIN