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News
Trump Budget Would Eliminate RUS for Water Projects
President Trump has released his federal budget blueprint for 2018 calling for major cuts to non-defense spending at agencies like EPA. Also on the chopping block is the Rural Utilities Service at the US Department of Agriculture that provides nearly half a billion dollars in funding for rural water infrastructure projects.
“Eliminates the duplicative Water and Wastewater loan and grant program, a savings of $498 million from the 2017 annualized CR level. Rural communities can be served by private sector financing or other Federal investments in rural water infrastructure, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Funds.”
The RUS has been an important program for rural communities to address their growing water infrastructure challenges while managing costs through competition. Unlike the EPA’s State Revolving Funds program, RUS prevents local monopolies by requiring project managers to consider all piping materials in a competitive bidding process. RUS has been an important program for the vinyl industry, and VI will continue monitoring this issue.
Please contact John Serrano, VI Director of Government Affairs, for more information on this issue.