BRUNSWICK

The Trump administration released its full budget proposal Tuesday, with significant cuts to a number of discretionary spending programs — though at least one program has been removed from the chopping block.

Despite reports that the administration was looking to cut funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy almost entirely, those cuts did not materialize in the final draft of the budget. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, was one of several senators to oppose the rumored cuts.

“Cutting funding to the Office of National Drug Control Policy would have directly hampered Maine’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic at a time when we can ill-afford to do so. In fact, we should be investing more in supporting states as they seek to help those struggling with addiction, not less,” said King. “I am glad that, following bipartisan calls from me and my colleagues, the administration has come to recognize the value of ONDCP and preserved the vast majority of its funding. Doing so will allow Maine and states around the country to extend a helping hand to more people in need and save lives.”

Maine received more than $2 million in funding from the ONDCP last year.

Other programs remain on the chopping block.

The Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, which helps cover the cost of energy for low income households, would be eliminated entirely under the president’s budget for a savings of more than $3.8 million. LIHEAP, which is administered through MaineHousing, assisted 1,373 households in the Midcoast region last year.

“LIHEAP is a federal program that has been known to have sizable fraud and abuse, leading to program integrity concerns,” stated the administration in its justification for the cut.

The administration also argues that the existence of disconnection policies at the state level which prevent utilities from cutting off households under certain circumstances adequately protects residents.

And despite calls by Maine’s congressional delegation to restore funding for Sea Grant and other NOAA programs, the Trump administration kept those cuts in the final budget draft.

“NOAA’s budget proposes to terminate the National Sea Grant College Program and dismantle the network of 33 Sea Grant programs located in coastal states and territories. More than 3,000 scientists, researchers, students and outreach experts from more than over 300 institutions will lose support from NOAA’s Sea Grant funding,” said Maine Sea Grant College Program Communications Director Catherine Schmitt.

“We are hopeful that Maine’s congressional delegation will continue to express support for Sea Grant, and that people will share more stories of how the Sea Grant program has benefited Maine’s coastal communities,” she added.

Maine Sea Grant boasts of $22 million in economic impact last year alone, which helped create or sustain more than 300 businesses and 130 jobs.

Similarly, the elimination of Community Development Block Grants and Financial Assistance Awards, two programs that direct funding to projects that benefit low income communities, is included in the final draft. It also cuts nearly a third of the funding for the EPA.

“Overall this budget dismantles programs designed to help states and cities protect our air and water and our families’ health,” said Environment Maine’s Campaign Organizer Emma Rotner. “It will also affect funding to Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, which in 2016 received $11.4 million in funding from the EPA, which allowed the Department of Environmental Protection to continue protecting Maine’s air, land and water.”

Delegation reacts

“While I appreciate the need to work toward a more fiscally responsible budget, I don’t believe the way to do so is by sharply cutting programs that support those who have fallen on hard times and by relying on budget gimmicks,” said King. “Many of the reductions proposed in this budget — from the cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to LIHEAP — will hammer thousands of people across Maine, including older, disabled and lower-income people. Hard working Maine people who pay taxes expect a government that works for them, but they are the ones who will suffer when the tax cuts proposed in this budget directly benefit those who need it least.

“As a member of the Senate Budget

Committee, I look forward to more deeply examining this budget and evaluating how we can work toward one that prioritizes Maine people and businesses, along with our national security needs,” he continued.

While Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, didn’t comment on the specific cuts in the final budget, she noted that the budget that Congress will ultimately pass will likely look quite different than Trump’s proposal.

“The president’s budget request is always subject to significant revision by Congress, and this budget will be no exception. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have never seen a president’s budget make it through Congress unchanged,” said Collins.

While 2nd District Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, praised aspects of the budget relating to funding for veterans programs and national security, he was critical of cuts to a number of programs.

“As I’ve said, I also want to maintain support for programs and agencies that serve our families and communities and help protect our environment,” said Poliquin. “Specifically, I support funding for programs such as LIHEAP, which provides critical support for our Maine families in winter; Community Development

Block Grants, which support multiple local programs in our state such as ‘Meals-on-Wheels’; and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, delivering family programming and also serving an important role with its emergency alert system; among others.”

“President Trump’s budget shows just how empty and cynical his campaign promises actually were — this is a terrible deal for working families,” said 2nd District Rep. Chellie Pingree. “In Maine, we’ve seen the consequences of starving the social safety net of funding — Mainers have gone hungry, our state’s opioid epidemic has worsened, and for the first time in years, the infant mortality rate has increased.

“President Trump has presented an infeasible plan that strips away foundational programs in order to build an unnecessary border wall and provide tax giveaways to millionaires, for which our grandkids will pay for decades to come,” she added. “As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will be asking his administration how on earth they can justify this egregious disregard for the realities of the American people.”

nstrout@timesrecord.com