Mayor Barrett mum about President Trump's potential Great Lakes cuts

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett refused to answer a question from FOX6 on Sunday, March 5th about a report that President Donald Trump intends to make major cuts to Great Lakes restoration efforts.

“We’ll have more to say on that next week,” said Jodie Tabak, the mayor’s spokeswoman, shutting down the question.

“We’ll absolutely have a lot more to say on that, OK?” Barrett said, before answering questions about his annual State of the City address, which is scheduled for Monday.

The Trump's administration is considering whether to dramatically cut annual funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from $300 million to just $10 million, the Detroit Free Press reported last week.

It’s not clear why Barrett was unwilling to answer the question. Milwaukee is a member city of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, which has come out strongly against the proposed cuts and says its main mission is to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

“It would be a tragedy for the U.S. government to step back from its commitment to the Great Lakes, a resource that is critically important to the economic well-being and quality of life of the region,” said Paul Dyster, the mayor of Niagara Falls, New York, and the organization’s vice chair.