By Maggie Fleming
Williamsville, NY – United States Senator Charles Schumer of New York and House of Representative member Kathy Hochul were at Crawford Furniture in Williamsville Monday to speak out against Congress' proposed cuts to invasive species funding.
The proposed budget cuts by the House of Representatives would mean less funding for key programs that fight the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer, or the EAB.
Crawford Furniture and other industries throughout upstate New York depend on the state's nearly 23 million Ash Trees. Schumer said it is important to protect funding so that the EAB's can be contained.
"The workers that discovered the Erie County infestation were trained in EAB management by the U.S. department of agriculture. And the fact that we found it here in Buffalo, hopefully early, may give us a right way to stop it from spreading," said Schumer.
The industries that rely on Ash Trees employ 50,000 upstate New Yorkers. Schumer said that these jobs could vanish unless we fight back.