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Thompson, Meehan Condemn Proposed Cuts to Land and Water Conservation Fund

May 24, 2017

Washington – Today, Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA-05) and Patrick Meehan (R-PA-07) rejected proposed cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund that were included as part of the President's budget. The Representatives released the following statement:

"The Administration's budget request for the Land and Water Conservation Fund is totally inadequate and undermines our nation's ability to preserve our natural and cultural heritage. LWCF has broad support among both Republicans and Democrats, and we are dismayed to see the budget call for an nearly 85 percent cut to such a popular and vitally important program for our economy and for our public lands. We urge our colleagues to reject this harmful proposal and provide LWCF with the robust funding it needs to continue protecting our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and historic places across the country.

"The outdoor recreation economy supports tens of thousands of jobs across the country and relies on LWCF to maintain our country's natural infrastructure, and our most treasured outdoor places. Sportsmen rely on this program to maintain and expand access to public lands so that hunting and angling remain cherished American traditions open to all. LWCF also ensures that families living in urban areas have easy access to parks and open space; hiking and riding trails; and neighborhood recreation facilities. We were proud to lead the effort of more than 200 Democrats and Republicans in calling for robust LWCF funding, and we will continue to lead that effort during the budget and appropriations process."

In March, Thompson and Meehan led the call to ensure LWCF has the full funding it needs. Their letter can be found here or at https://mikethompson.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/mikethompson-evo.house.gov/files/LWCF_FY18.pdf.

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