WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) criticized the Trump Administration’s misguided 2018 Department of Energy Budget proposal.

The Fiscal Year 2018 Budget proposal for the Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to slash funding and, in some cases, eliminate several important DOE programs. The Department is a science and technology leader, with an unrivaled network of national laboratories, accelerating innovation in energy, manufacturing, and nuclear security. The budget proposal would undermine U.S. energy leadership and kill American jobs.

An analysis by the Democratic Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources found that the proposed budget cuts of $3.5 billion would result in over 17,000 direct job losses of scientists and engineers working at the national labs, universities, research institutions, and businesses throughout the country.

The analysis also finds that the 2018 Department of Energy budget would produce a staggering loss of $8.35 billion in future annual economic growth per year as a result of cuts to vital R&D investments and other programs that fund innovation.

The full analysis includes state-by-state numbers regarding the impacts of the proposed budget cuts and can be read here.