The budget proposal of President Donald Trump, which he submitted last Thursday, might pose a drastic impact across Maine. Their public university system, as well as team of researchers are keeping tabs on the federal budget after a number of agencies that support scientific research and social services became the target for the said budget cut.
James Page, chancellor of the University of Maine System said that they have been studying it, BDN Maine reported. He said that the impact of these budget cuts on higher education is extra ordinary. Page stated that the Sea Grant program might already come to an end, and that the money for the Pell Grant surplus and funding for federal work studies might be reduced. The national endowments for arts and humanities might also be eliminated.
Page added that each school were asked to quantify how the cuts would affect their students, institutions and researchers, because these numbers will be gathered together and will be organized on a system level.
Spokeswoman Margaret Nagleat said that UMaine officials are still waiting to finally see how the Trump's proposed budget cuts will have an impact on the existing programs of the school. In an email, she also said that there are no details or specifics yet on how the cuts might affect the university's projects and programs. But, they are worried about the possible impact of these cuts on UMaine academic, research and service programs.
The universities in Maine are not the only ones who are standing by the approval of the budget cuts and its impact; the citizens of Maine are also looking closely at how it will affect them because according to Portland Press Herald, if the proposal gets to be approved by the Congress, it will reduce the federal funding to the programs that provide heating oil and meals to low income families in Maine. It would also stop federal funds from flowing to Maine's public television and radio, and many research programs will be possibly affected.
