An internal watchdog in the U.S. Department of Energy will investigate the Trump administration’s termination of $7.6 billion in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects across 16 states that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The move is especially welcome for Democrats who said that the cuts — part of broader attacks from President Donald Trump on climate programs and clean energy funding — would slash projects boosting the electric grid, threaten thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs, and send Americans’ energy costs soaring. Sarah Nelson, assistant inspector general for the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General, said in a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday that the audit of the canceled funds will review 'whether those cancellations were in accordance with established criteria.' The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In October, the Energy Department announced that 321 funding awards across 223 projects were terminated, citing that they 'did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.' At the time, White House budget director Russell Vought stated that awards across California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state would be cut. All 16 targeted states supported Harris. More than two dozen Democratic members of Congress from California, led by California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, wrote a letter to the acting inspector general in late October requesting a formal investigation into the canceled funding, claiming the cuts suggest significant unlawful bias. The letter stated that since the project funding was authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law, passed under former President Joe Biden, the Department does not have the authority to terminate awards, labeling the decisions as 'unlawful' and harmful to Americans. Schiff expressed optimism regarding the investigation into what he characterized as 'clear political targeting' intended to punish blue states. The cuts greatly impacted California, with over $1 billion earmarked for a hydrogen hub there.
In October, the Energy Department announced that 321 funding awards across 223 projects were terminated, citing that they 'did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.' At the time, White House budget director Russell Vought stated that awards across California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state would be cut. All 16 targeted states supported Harris. More than two dozen Democratic members of Congress from California, led by California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, wrote a letter to the acting inspector general in late October requesting a formal investigation into the canceled funding, claiming the cuts suggest significant unlawful bias. The letter stated that since the project funding was authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law, passed under former President Joe Biden, the Department does not have the authority to terminate awards, labeling the decisions as 'unlawful' and harmful to Americans. Schiff expressed optimism regarding the investigation into what he characterized as 'clear political targeting' intended to punish blue states. The cuts greatly impacted California, with over $1 billion earmarked for a hydrogen hub there.
