Sen. Jack Reed held a press conference on Friday to promote his efforts to preserve federal funding for water quality revolving loan funds around the country.
Reed, as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on Interior and Environment, included $2.36 billion in the chairman's proposed budget, which was released Thursday.
The Republican-controlled House has proposed reducing funding to $1.8 billion, a $600 million cut. President Obama has included $1.9 billion in his budget, a $460 million cut.
"The House's proposed cuts to these clean water and drinking water projects are shortsighted and would simply pass the buck to local governments and force them to raise utility fees and taxes in order to close the funding gap," Reed said in a statement.
Reed said his bill would provide Rhode Island $9.5 million for the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency's wastewater revolving loan fund and $8.9 million for its drinking water revolving fund.