Those were just a few of the terms that former federal agency leaders used to describe President Donald Trump's 2018 budget proposal and the potential cuts to climate change programs.
"When you look across the federal agencies, it knits up to a narrative," said former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, who served under President Barack Obama.
In a call with reporters Thursday, former leaders of agencies with climate change programs in their purview made their cases against Trump's budget proposal. Released Tuesday, the budget calls for cuts across the agencies, from more than 30 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency—the hardest hit of all—to 12 percent at the Department of Interior.
The story, the agency leaders said, was clear: The Trump administration, driven by ideology, is attempting to take a whack at climate-related programs, even those central to driving jobs and innovation.
"You cannot have a thriving economy if you don't have a healthy environment," said Christine Todd Whitman, who led the EPA under George W. Bush. "I'm terribly worried about what I see in this budget. The cuts to science ... I think we're going to see a huge backlash, and I think Congress is going to step up and put this money back in."
Read more at Trump Budget Cuts 'Totally Inexplicable,' Former Agency Heads Say
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