Trump Celebrates on Earth Day Despite Proposed Budget Cuts to the EPA

On Earth Day, while Donald Trump tweeted about the importance of economic growth in juxtaposition to his tweet about preserving the nation’s natural beauty, thousands of marchers flooded the U.S. capitol to support science and evidence-based research.

“Today on Earth Day, we celebrate our beautiful forests, lakes and land,” Trump said in a tweet on his official Twitter account Saturday afternoon. “We stand committed to preserving the natural beauty of our nation.”

The protests weren’t just confined to Washington. They happened globally. The March for Science was partially induced by Trump’s plans to cut funding to agencies in support of scientists’ work.

However, these aren’t the only funds that will be cut.

Trump’s $1.1 trillion budget outline would cut Environmental Protection Agency funds by 31%, State Department by 28% and the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 13.2%.

The Trump administration has been harshly criticized due to the proposed cuts to non-military spending and plans to roll back environmental regulations, many of which affect climate change policies.

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney isn’t in favor of funding climate change-related programs.

“I think the President was fairly straightforward,” he said. “We’re not spending money on that anymore. We consider that to be a waste of your money to go out and do that. So that is a specific tie to his campaign.”

A quantity of programs previously instated by the Obama Administration addressed the impact of climate change-related issues. These programs harmed American businesses, according to Trump. He lifted these environmental regulations last month in order to reinforce jobs, such as coal mining.

Trump has made it clear that creating jobs in America has been of top priority, even if those jobs may enhance environmental risks.

“I am committed to keeping our air and water clean but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection,” Trump said in a tweet Saturday evening. “Jobs matter!”

Featured Image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore