Keating Slams Trump’s Proposed Budget as Bad For Cape and Islands

US Congressman William Keating

HYANNIS – Congressman William Keating continues to criticize President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, saying the spending plan has major cuts that will harm the Cape and Islands.

The 9th District Representative said he already started getting calls from people and agencies that may be impacted in the days after the budget was released this month.

Keating said grants for Super Fund sites in Plymouth, federal air subsidies for companies like Cape Air, and research money for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are at risk.

“We are already having people from our district coming in, talking about issues that directly impact them. I’ve had people coming in from some of the Community Action programs in our region,” said Keating.

The Democrat also criticized the proposed increase in defense spending as out of line.

And some of the cuts being proposed could have a trickle down impact on other programs, according to Keating.

He called some of the federal funding on the chopping block “leveraging items” that allow municipalities to access additional money.

“These cuts will not only reduce leveraged money, but many of these things are going to put enormous burden on states, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well,” Keating said.

The congressman said he was also concerned about cuts to wastewater-related programs that could hinder progress on the 208 Plan, which is directing the Cape’s future wastewater plans.

Keating said if progress is halted, a Conservation Law Foundation lawsuit could be revived that may lead to an MWRA-type wastewater solution being forced on Cape Cod.

Reductions are also possible in the federal flood insurance mapping program.

Keating said that any cuts in federal spending are really cuts that impact local communities on Cape Cod.

“It eliminates the funding totally for the essential air service program. You have entities like Cape Air that rely heavily on the funding from this program,” he said.

Keating said that in his opinion, there were really no positives at all in Trump’s budget.

By MATT PITTA, CapeCod.com News Director

 

 

About CapeCod.com NewsCenter

The award-winning CapeCod.com NewsCenter provides the Cape Cod community with a constant, credible source for local news. We are on the job seven days a week.



CapeCod.com
737 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Contact Us | Advertise Terms of Use 
Employment and EEO | Privacy