Trump budget proposal slashes funding for Denali Commission

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Trump administration’s federal budget proposal would cut an Alaska program that has helped improve farms, docks and other rural infrastructure. The fiscal year 2021 budget calls for the shutdown of the Denali Commission and two other agencies like it in the continental U.S. The proposed budget provides $7 million to close the commission, decreasing its funding by $10 million. A White House budget document points to the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend as evidence the state is wealthy enough that it does not need the federally supported commission. Alaska’s congressional delegation has vowed to protect the Anchorage-based commission.