NEW INFORMATION: Walker opposes Trump over Great Lakes funding

Gov. Scott Walker tells The Associated Press he opposes President Donald Trump's proposal to remove federal funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Walker talked to AP on Thursday after Trump released his budget calling for elimination of the funding that has sent $2.2 billion to the eight-state region since 2009.

Walker says "it makes sense for us to continue to make prudent investments in protecting and improving the Great Lakes."

Walker says he will talk with both the Trump administration as well as Republicans who control the U.S. House and Senate about restoring the funding.

Seven of Wisconsin's eight congressional members signed a letter in February asking Trump to protect the money, a call he ignored.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A bipartisan coalition of Wisconsin's congressional delegation had urged President Donald Trump not to cut funding for the Great Lakes that he's proposing to eliminate.

Trump's budget released Thursday would remove all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that targets the region's biggest environmental threats.

Seven Republican and Democratic members of Congress from Wisconsin joined with 40 other lawmakers in signing a letter to Trump in February asking him to fund the program that President Barack Obama established in 2009. House Speaker Paul Ryan did not sign the letter and his spokeswoman did not immediately return a message Thursday.

The program has pumped more than $2.2 billion into the eight-state region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors and fought invasive species such as Asian carp.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- President Donald Trump wants to eliminate federal support of a program that addresses the Great Lakes' most pressing environmental threats.

Trump's 2018 budget released Thursday would remove all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has received strong support from members of Congress in both parties since President Barack Obama established it in 2009.

The program has pumped more than $2.2 billion into the eight-state region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms.

The initiative has generally received about $300 million a year. Congress voted last year to authorize the program for five more years.

A Trump campaign representative said last fall the Republican nominee supported the program.