Catastrophic Concerns: Environmentalists Warn of Trump’s Budget Cuts Impact on the Great Lakes

The assaults launched by Donald Trump and Elon Musk on federal agencies, along with funding halts, could spell “cataclysmic” consequences for the delicate Great Lakes environment if not reversed, warn advocates from both industry and environmental sectors in the area.

Actions initiated since Trump’s return to the White House in January and Musk’s leadership in cutting federal funding pose immediate threats to drinking water safety, fish populations, and the livelihood and well-being of millions who depend on the Great Lakes system, they argue.

Referred to as the “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge), the cost-reducing agency under Trump and Musk has pledged significant cuts to federal spending and workforce, already resulting in the termination of hundreds of federal employees and targeting substantial funding aimed at safeguarding the Great Lakes.

The aggressive approach of the administration and Doge poses significant risks to the ecologically sensitive lake system, stretching approximately 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from Minnesota to central New York, according to Christy McGillivray, political director for the Sierra Club in Michigan.

These crucial lakes provide drinking water to over 40 million people across the US and Canada, house about 90% of the nation’s freshwater resources, and host 3,500 species of flora and fauna. They also contribute directly to an estimated $750 billion in annual commerce.

“The level of ignorance displayed by Donald Trump and Elon Musk is astonishing; they seem unaware of the federal government’s role in this region,” McGillivray stated.

One of Doge’s early casualties was the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 12-member unit dedicated to controlling sea lampreys, known as “the vampires of the Great Lakes.” This invasive species poses a grave threat to the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry, which supports 75,000 jobs as they prey on native fish. The unit was already struggling to manage the lamprey population post-COVID.

Additionally, a valuable multibillion-dollar initiative in Illinois aimed at countering invasive silver Asian carp—whose consumption of food sources devastates native fish populations—has been halted due to the freeze on federal funding.

Doge has also fired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) personnel responsible for monitoring ice cover and maintaining water-level gauges and weather buoys, functions deemed “critical to navigation safety” by a spokesperson for the Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents the Great Lakes shipping sector in the US. “Deterioration of these services directly impacts navigation safety,” the spokesperson remarked.

In addition, Trump is reportedly considering actions to renegotiate treaties with Canada regarding the cooperative management of the Great Lakes, which could disrupt shipping, fishing, tourism, and further harm the environment, according to advocates.

The safety of drinking water is also under threat. Musk’s Doge has reduced NOAA staff involved in protecting against toxic algal blooms—issues that are challenging for wastewater treatment facilities to manage—causing potential health risks like vomiting, liver issues, and kidney damage. Excess fertilizer runoff from agricultural land has intensified algal problems in Lake Erie, which, in 2014, left 400,000 residents in Toledo without water for several days. Advocates predict that federal efforts aimed at reducing fertilizer runoff will also be negatively impacted.

Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate 675 out of its 1,035 staff in Michigan, as stated by Nic Cantello, a union leader representing EPA employees in the state and upper Midwest. This includes the removal of 18 enforcement staff dedicated to overseeing the Great Lakes, including six attorneys, leading to a slowdown in enforcement actions against major polluters in the region.

David Ullrich, a former deputy administrator at the EPA’s region 5 in Chicago, worries that staff managing programs to prevent raw sewage overflow into the lakes could be next on the chopping block.

Having joined the EPA in the early 1970s, during its establishment alongside the passage of the Clean Water Act, Ullrich recalls a time when Lake Erie was deemed “dead,” with some water bodies so polluted they were set ablaze. The government has been gradually eroding pollution levels while revitalizing the lakes, a process Ullrich defines as a rare bipartisan achievement spanning several decades.

The cuts affecting the Great Lakes represent a “grave problem,” particularly because the progress achieved can be reversed far more swiftly than restoring the lakes is feasible, Ullrich highlighted. Reinstating programs after they have been dismantled is “extremely inefficient,” leading to higher costs for taxpayers compared to maintaining ongoing programs.

In his first term, Trump attempted to eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that has been in operation since the administration of George W. Bush, overseeing federal measures in the region and allocating $5 billion for over 8,000 projects focused on mitigating pollution in the lakes and their adjacent areas.

Although a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers successfully blocked Trump’s efforts to cut funding for this initiative during his first term, reports indicate a declining willingness among Republican lawmakers to resist the president’s proposals this time, according to Democrats.

Assistance at the state level appears absent. Federal funding constitutes about $750 million out of the $1 billion budget for Michigan’s environmental agency, with proposed cuts of 40% to this federal allocation, which includes approximately $285 million for clean drinking water and pollution prevention, Cantello reported. Concurrently, Republicans dominate Michigan’s House of Representatives and have proposed a budget that would entirely defund the state’s environmental agency.

As the climate crisis exacerbates fluctuations in lake levels, triggering increased heavy rainfall and flooding along the shores, homes and wildlife face heightened threats, along with regional economic activities. The administration is targeting programs aimed at safeguarding the region from these impacts and initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The ramifications are enormity, and it’s vital to put this situation into perspective,” Ullrich remarked. “The Great Lakes represent one of the world’s natural wonders, akin to our midwestern version of Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, with impacts that extend far beyond one can fathom—encompassing significant economic, social, and environmental implications.”