The Trump administration has acknowledged in court filings that it terminated $7.6 billion in grants for clean energy projects in 16 states based on those states’ voting patterns in the 2024 presidential election. All 16 affected states voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The projects included initiatives to develop battery plants, hydrogen technology, upgrade the electric grid, and capture carbon dioxide emissions across approximately 300 projects.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials had previously stated that the projects were canceled because they failed to adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable investments of federal funds. However, the recent court documents contradict these public statements, acknowledging that the selection process was influenced by whether grant recipients were located in states that tend to elect Democratic candidates. Federal lawyers also disclosed that they used keywords related to diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy, and COVID-19 to screen projects for alignment with administration priorities.
Democratic lawmakers and environmental organizations characterized the cancellations as punitive measures against states based on their political leanings. Representatives and senators from the affected party called the actions a form of government weaponization and urged congressional Republicans to investigate the administration’s conduct. Environmental groups argued that the canceled projects represented necessary infrastructure investments and job creation opportunities.
The Energy Department announced the terminations last October as part of broader administration efforts to curtail climate programs and clean energy funding. White House budget officials highlighted the cancellations as eliminating spending they characterized as advancing a particular political agenda. The matter has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and a departmental inspector general investigation that commenced in December.
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