Huizenga, Upton applaud Great Lakes funding in Trump budget

U.S. Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) praised President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget this week for including $320 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

“In this budget the President demonstrated his commitment to Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region by fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,” said Rep. Huizenga, co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force. “Having the President engage on this critical issue improves the chances for bipartisan legislation to be signed into law that will protect and strengthen the Great Lakes.”

The GLRI provides funding for projects that protect and restore the Great Lakes, the largest system of fresh surface water in the world.

The U.S. House passed the bipartisan GLRI Act of 2019, H.R. 4031, on Feb. 5 in a 373-45 vote. Both Reps. Huizenga and Upton signed on as original cosponsors of the bill, which was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH). The measure reauthorizes the GLRI for another five years after it expires at the end of FY 2021. The bill also increases the current authorization level from $300 million to $375 million in FY 2022 and increases funding by $25 million per year until it reaches $475 million in FY 2026, according to the lawmakers’ offices.

“This is exciting news for the Great Lakes and for everyone who calls southwest Michigan home, and I commend the Administration for proposing significant resources for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,” Upton said. “These resources are needed to keep Asian carp and other invasive species out of our Great Lakes, to ensure that our water is clean and safe, and to maintain the beauty of these Lakes for generations to come.”

President Trump had also fully funded the GLRI in his FY 2020 budget, Rep. Huizenga’s office noted, after discussing the importance of the Great Lakes and the GLRI’s impact on the economy in a meeting last March with Huizenga and other congressmen.