Just announced federal grants for a series of development projects for the economically challenged area along the U.S.-Canadian border in northern New England could be the last unless Congress funds next year's program over the objection of the Trump Administration.
Grants for Vermont were announced Thursday by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy and Republican Governor Phil Scott to help fund 10 programs.
Officials in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York say the Northern Border Commission has helped create and save hundreds of jobs since it was created almost a decade ago by using relatively small amount of money to generate other investments in traditionally underserved areas.
The Trump Administration proposed eliminating funding.
The U.S. House has passed a bill that would cut funding in half. A separate proposal in the Senate would increase funding for the commission. Leahy said he and his colleagues in the Senate are pushing back against what he calls the White House's "anti-rural agenda".
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