ST.PAUL, Minn. — The Army Corps, which maintains navigation on the Upper Mississippi, has been caught in the sweeping Trump budget slashing. The Corps canceled a public outreach meeting in Guttenberg, Iowa, for a new wildlife conservation project at South Ferry Slough. The district office in St. Paul explained merely: “Travel restrictions.” Although hardly a major budget item, he cuts were from issued from the top of the Army chain-of-command under Trump appointee Pete Hegseth as U.S. secretary of defense and directed by Trump sidekick Elon Musk in the name of government efficiency. The cancellation was out of character for the Army Corps. For decades the Corps has cultivated strong community relations with public hearings, open houses and informational programs up and down the Mississippi – all low-cost endeavors for goodwill by showing citizens their tax dollars at work. The Corps said it hoped the $11 million South Ferry Slough project itself would survive further cuts. The contract has been awarded already.
Earlier: River wildlife project starting near Guttenberg
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