Presidential Budget Cuts

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[NOTE: This is an email I sent to my United States Representative, Rodney Davis, regarding President Donald Trump's budget proposal.]

Dear Representative Davis:

I've been reading through Pres. Trump's budget proposal and I am just getting angrier and angrier. I am a fiscal conservative who believes strongly in a smaller, smarter, more efficient federal government that returns power to local and state governments and clears a path for non-governmental organizations to make lasting, sustainable changes in our communities.

The problem I have with this budget is simple: it doesn't do any of these things. It will not result in a more efficient government, it will result in just confusion. It will not empower state and local governments, it will harm them by removing resources and support. It won't clear a path for NGOs, it will make it more complicated.

Here is one example that I directly impacts our community in the 13th Congressional District: the elimination of the Sea Grant program. This is a collaborative project that involves the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, and 33 colleges and universities, including the University of Illinois as part of the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Among many other things, the Sea Grant program helps maintain access to safe drinking water, provides means to research and collaborate on protecting and conserving our nation's seaways and coasts. The Sea Grant also provides training for educators such as myself to better teach students about the ecology of our water systems and how they impact our environment and our community.

So many of Pres. Trump's budget cuts are for programs that have very little impact on the overall federal budget but have a very large impact on their people they will affect. Instead of eliminating programs that impact the health and safety of our neighbours, I am asking that you vote against Pres. Trump's budget and instead work with your fellow House Representatives to formulate a budget that will result in a smarter, smaller, more efficient federal government.

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