Senate approves budget resolution with cuts to key federal programs  

WASHINGTON — Early this morning, the U.S. Senate approved a budget resolution with cuts to key federal programs, including public lands protections, clean energy investments, and protecting vulnerable communities from extreme weather.  

These cuts will impact Southern public lands like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, reduce state advancements in clean energy, and gut necessary Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP) that help rural and urban communities keep the lights on and houses warm during the winter and cool in the summer. 

“People across the South and the country have benefited from billions of dollars in investments and half a million clean energy jobs. We should be embracing and expanding these opportunities,” said Nat Mund, SELC’s Director of Federal Affairs. “No one voted for the dirty air and water, endangered public lands, or job cuts that this budget resolution threatens.”