"The Department of Agriculture is looking to scale back its fight against the emerald ash borer, even as the deadly bug continues to kill trees in 35 states and may be expanding its appetite to other species.
The Trump administration is proposing to cut Forest Service spending on invasive species in the next fiscal year, and USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is moving toward ending the quarantine that's kept firewood, lumber and other risky materials from ash trees from crossing into certain states.
Those proposals have drawn criticism from some environmental groups and members of Congress, who say they worry that the government may be retreating despite officials' promises that they're just looking for new, more effective ways to fight the pest."
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