The National Marine Manufacturers Association yesterday highlighted $50 million in suggested cuts to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ recreation operation and management budget for the federal government’s fiscal year 2023.
The corps is one of the principal managers of marine recreation areas. NMMA pointed out in its Currents newsletter that the agency is consistently underfunded, which has left many boating facilities in disrepair. The association further pointed out that with outdoor recreation and boating reaching record highs, Congress must better fund USACE to keep the boating economy humming.
“The president’s request proposes to cut the Army Corps’ budget for recreational operation and management to about $240 million for fiscal 2023. That’s compared with $295 million in the fiscal 2022 omnibus spending package,” Washington-D.C.-based E&E News reported this week.
Callie Hoyt, director of government affairs for NMMA, said in the article: “The agency may be forced to do minimal upkeep or even close some facilities. They can’t keep the lights on for a lot of different sites across the country.”
E&E News also reported that a “spokesperson for the corps acknowledged the fiscal 2023 budget request is less than the 2022 appropriations level and said the corps will look at the funding proposed for all of its business lines to plan for the coming year.”
