MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A federally funded economic development organization that has helped bring and save hundreds of jobs to depressed areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York is slated for elimination under President Donald Trump's budget.
Under the proposal, the budget for the Northern Border Regional Commission would be cut from $10 million in the current fiscal year to $850,000 - a figure budget proponents say is enough for the agency's "orderly closure."
Statistics show that between 2010 and 2016, the commission provided $21.1 million for 119 projects across the Northeast, retaining 307 jobs and creating 137 new ones.
Proponents say the agency has made possible a variety of projects, but the Trump administration says the states haven't contributed their share of funding for the agency as required.