Coalition to Senate Appropriators Regarding State and Related Agencies Budget

To: The Honorable Lindsey Graham
Chairperson
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
SD-127
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
SD-125
Washington, D.C. 20510

From: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
And the undersigned environmental non-governmental organizations

Dear Chairperson Graham and Ranking Member Leahy:

On behalf of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, we write to ask that you assure the Fiscal Year 2020 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill provides funding for Great Lakes restoration priorities. We are grateful for the much-needed support the region has received. We share these waters with our Canadian neighbors and our joint efforts are seeing on-the-ground results because of the investments across the region on both sides of the border. However, the Great Lakes still face many urgent problems, which is why we are concerned with the President’s proposed budget. The problems we face will only get worse and the price we pay will be much higher if the federal and international partnership in the region is scaled back.