Trump cancels billions in clean energy grants
The Trump administration is cancelling 7.6 billion dollars (£5.6 billion) in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
The move comes as Mr Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.
The Energy Department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable.
Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other Energy Department bureaux.
The cuts are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and carbon-capture efforts, among many others, according to the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defence Council.
White House budget director Russ Vought said the Trump administration will also withhold 2.1 billion dollars (£1.5 billion) for Chicago infrastructure projects, expanding the funding fights that have targeted Democratic areas during the government shutdown.
The pause affects a long-awaited plan to extend the city’s Red Line train. Mr Vought wrote on social media on Friday that the money was “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting”.
He made a similar announcement earlier this week involving New York, where Vought said 18 million dollars (£13.4 million) for infrastructure would be paused, including funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
Mr Trump is openly embracing the conservative blueprint he tried to distance himself from during the 2024 presidential campaign.
In a post on his Truth Social site Mr Trump announced he would be meeting with his budget chief, “Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent”.
The comments, posted on Thursday, represented an about-face for Mr Trump, who spent much of last year denouncing Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation’s massive proposed overhaul of the federal government, which was drafted by many of his long-time allies and current and former administration officials.
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