President Donald Trump will be coming to Jupiter, Florida on Tuesday to discuss his administration’s environmental protection efforts in the Florida Everglades.
Trump is expected to address his budget proposal to fund Everglade restoration — the proposed 2021 budget allocates $250 million in annual funding for restoration and infrastructure projects in the Southwest Florida ecosystem.
Plans included in the proposal look at regional water storage capacity, reducing harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee and tackling the issue of blue-green algae and red tide.
However, Florida Democrats are not so keen on the proposed plans, saying the proposed budget would hinder efforts to address one of the Everglades’ greatest threats: the climate crisis.
Not once in Trump’s 138-page main budget document did the word “climate” appear.
Democrats also cite Trump’s proposed cuts to agencies responsible for addressing the climate crisis, including cutting the EPA’s budget by a quarter and its workforce by 11%.
“If Donald Trump wants to talk about his record on the environment, let’s talk,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo in a news release. “For the fourth year in a row, Trump has proposed decimating funding for federal agencies that are responsible for addressing the climate crisis and preventing pollution from dirtying our air and water — issues that are fundamental to Florida’s prosperity.”
The Florida Everglades face a major threat from climate change, from sea-level rise to wildfires. Democrats are questioning Trump’s motives, worried he is trying to spin his poor environmental record.
“After three and a half years of Trump prioritizing corporate polluters over Florida’s public health and natural resources, the Trump campaign is trying to gaslight Florida voters who prize our environment as essential to our well-being, economy, and way of life,” Rizzio said, giving a nod at Biden. “Floridians won’t be fooled by a photo-op. We know that Joe Biden is the only candidate who will do more than talk about our environment — he’ll take action to protect it while creating good-paying jobs.”
