Trump to cut environment agency's climate funding by up to 70%

US President Donald Trump will oversee a massive overhaul of the Environmental Protection Agency's funding, with the total budget for the regulatory body to be cut by 25%, and a key climate protection programme to lose 70% of its funding.

The White House has proposed the budget cuts for the EPA in order to reverse the Obama administration's push towards climate change regulation, but the President has promised that the funding cuts would not damage the air and water quality in the US.

According to Reuters, the EPA's annual budget will be slashed to $6.1bn, including 12,400 staff, when Trump presents his budget proposal for 2018.

The cuts will have to be approved by Congress however, such is its control over administration spending.

Trump's proposal will however be the first blow in a lengthy battle to push through widespread budget reductions in order to finance a huge increase in military spending.

EPA programmes that focus on lead cleanup and grants to aid Native American tribes will face heavy reductions, with the programme to battle greenhouse gas emissions facing the biggest reduction of 70% to $29m.

The EPA has played a crucial role in curbing the actions of companies who have overstepped the mark in relation to their emissions output.

Most notably, the agency uncovered the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, in which the German carmaker had fitted technology to vehicles in order to cheat tests on its harmful substance output.

Trump's plans to cut climate change funding have not gone down well among environmental organisations, with Sierra Club campaign director John Coequyt commenting that the cuts will not pass Congress.

"States and Congress won't go for this. They are proposing cutting programs that are connected to jobs in states and programs that address environmental issues," Coequyt said.