President Trump on Thursday pledged to secure $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a boon for states that will be key for the president as he seeks re-election.
“I support the Great Lakes. Always have,” Trump told a crowd of supporters during a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich. “They’re beautiful, they’re big, very deep. Record deepness, right?”
Among the states affected are key presidential battlegrounds, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
The president said he was going to get the full funding for the initiative “in honor” of Michigan’s GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Bill Huizenga, John Moolenaar, and Jack Bergman, who all greeted Trump upon his arrival.
“We will get it done,” Trump said. “It’s time. You’ve been trying to get it [for] nearly 30 years. I would say it’s time.”
While the president promised $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the president’s fiscal 2020 budget proposed $30 million for the project, a 90 percent reduction in funding. This year’s budget, which is dead on arrival in the Democrat-controlled House, marked the third year Trump proposed deep cuts to the initiative.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010 with the goal of speeding up efforts to restore and protect the Great Lakes.
The president’s rally in Michigan is the first since the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russia. Mueller submitted his final report to the Justice Department on Friday.
Michigan, a swing state, will be crucial for the president as he seeks a second term in the White House. Trump won the state by less than 11,000 votes in the 2016 election, becoming the first Republican to do so in more than 30 years.
Grand Rapids was also the place where Trump held his last rally of his 2016 presidential campaign before defeating Hillary Clinton to win the White House.
