Congressional Subcommittee Approves EPA Budget Cuts

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee for Veteran Affairs, Housing & Urban Development & Independent Agencies has approved a fiscal-year 2005 budget for the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that cuts the agency’s funding by $613 million when compared to fiscal-year 2004. The cuts included a $519 million decrease in state and tribal assistance grants.

Overall, the subcommittee approved $7.8 billion in funding for the EPA in fiscal-year 2005, which is $36 million less than the amount requested by the Bush Administration. The proposed budget now moves on to the full committee.