Congress is back in session this month, and I have been traveling back and forth between Northwest Washington and D.C. Here at home, I have been hearing your concerns about the Trump administration, their policy, and budget cuts.

This month, I sat with Anacortes school leaders to talk about federal funding.

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I have been meeting with school district leaders around Northwest Washington to better understand how federal funding plays into their budgets.

In July, Trump froze billions of dollars in education funding that had already been appropriated by Congress. $137 million was designated for Washington schools, with about $100,000 specifically for Anacortes. Ultimately, at the end of July, after bipartisan pressure, the funding was released.

The Anacortes district administrators shared with me that any further cuts to federal education funding would put programs for Anacortes students and teachers at risk.

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Outdoor Alliance Washington (OA Washington) released their trip report from our hike on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. We looked at the forest and the trails and discussed the impact of the Trump administration on public lands.

The Trump administration has cut staff at the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service and is rescinding the U.S. Forest Service's Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 59 million acres of national forest. The U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule prevents and restricts new road construction, timber harvesting, and mineral leasing in designated "roadless areas."

We still have a lot of work to do to protect our public lands. We must protect the Roadless Rule and our environment because a healthy environment is vital to Washingtonians' way of life and the regional economy.

More soon,

Rick