Washington leaders urge budget support for Puget Sound

SEATTLE – Three dozen members of Congress are calling on President Donald Trump not to eliminate money for Puget Sound and other bodies of water.

U.S. Representatives Derek Kilmer, Denny Heck and Dave Reichert, all of Washington, are among those who signed a bipartisan letter to the president Tuesday. They are all part of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus.

Trump’s budget blueprint released last month eliminates the Environmental Protection Agency’s geographic programs to clean up Puget Sound, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and other water bodies.

The lawmakers say the bodies of water are crucial economic drivers that support millions of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact across the country.

They urged Trump to reconsider his budget proposal, saying the health of communities and economies depend on those investments.

Under the program, projects in Puget Sound received $28 million last year.