Republicans in the Florida delegation pushed back at the White House this week on President Donald Trump’s proposed budget falling short on what they wanted to help restore the Everglades.
Trump’s proposed budget includes $63 million for Everglades restoration, far short of the $200 million that Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., asked for.
Rubio, Scott, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., weighed in on Wednesday, insisting Trump “failed to include sufficient funding for Everglades restoration efforts” in his budget proposal.
“For the third year in a row, the administration’s budget request underfunds critical projects in South Florida,” the Florida Republicans said in a joint statement. “It is incredibly short-sighted to continue to underfund a series of projects that are absolutely necessary to ensure the environmental sustainability and economic vitality of one of the most dynamic regions of our nation. Everglades restoration is critically important to the state of Florida and enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress.
“Failing to meet the basic federal funding commitments to restore the Everglades is contrary to the administration’s goal of improving project partnerships and cost-sharing with states,” they added. “Successive Florida governors have remained committed to this goal, pushing state funding of this 50/50 federal-state partnership to historic highs. Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers envisioned a $200 million per year federal commitment when the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was first authorized nearly 20 years ago, and it is time for the administration to meet that commitment.”
