Kevin: Interior Faces Deep Budget Cut

On his newspaper blog today, opinionator Kevin Richert/Statesman reports that U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho was right when he said that the budget for interior and environmental programs would contain enough cuts to make a lot of people angry. The budget cleared its first hurdle this week, getting through a House Appropriations Committee. chaired by Simpson. Richert reports, “At $27.5 billion, the 2011-12 budget proposal represents a $2.1 billion cut from 2010-11, and a 12 percent cut from President Barack Obama’s proposal. The numbers tell only part of the story, though. What is slashed — and what survives the cost-cutting — delivers an indelible message. Read more here.

Question: Do you agree with the deep cuts proposed for the Interior department budget?