Energy Department cancels billions in funding amid shutdown : NPR

Energy secretary Chris Wright listens to a press conference this spring at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP / AP

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Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP / AP

The Ministry of Energy Cancellation is More than $ 7 billion in funding for hundreds of projects which, according to the agency, do not meet the country’s energy needs and are not economically viable.

The Doe published the announcement on Wednesday evening, the first day of a government closure And a few hours after the Director of Management of the White House and the Budget Director, Russ Vought, said that the Trump administration cancels nearly $ 8 billion in “Green New Scam funding”. Vought Published on the social media site X that the financing of the energy department was intended for projects in 16 states, which all voted for the former vice-president Kamala Harris.

The energy department said in a press release that it had decided to terminate $ 7.56 billion for 223 projects after an “in -depth individual review”.

“President Trump has promised to protect taxpayers from dollars and extend the American, reliable and secure energy offer. [cancellations] Discover this commitment, “said Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a statement.” Rest assured, the energy department will continue to examine prices to ensure that each dollar works for the American people. “”

The energy department has not published a list of projects subject to cancellations. The ministry did not respond to messages requesting comments.

The financing prices were awarded by six offices in the energy department:

Wright said that the Energy Department had examined funding which was “precipitated in the last months of the Biden administration with inadequate documentation by any reasonable commercial standard”. The funding beneficiaries have 30 days to call on the terminations, said the ministry.

Responding to Vought’s announcement, Democratic legislators said that the cancellation of the financing of the energy department is an effort by the Trump administration to punish Democrats when the government is closed.

“Let’s take your eyes off. It is no longer a functional democracy when – in the midst of a funding for high issues – the president illegally suspends federal projects in the States led by Democrats as a means of punishing political opposition,” said Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat in Connecticut, Posted on X.

A White House spokesman Anna Kelly returned NPR to the Department of Energy to comment.

Also Wednesday, the Trump administration Fizant $ 18 billion in infrastructure financing For New York, which houses the chief of the minorities of the Senate Chuck Schumer and the leader of the Hakeem Jeffries room, both Democrats. Vought announced the freeze In a post on X.

Vought “dreamed of this moment, preparing [for] This moment since puberty, “Senator Mike Lee, a republican of Utah, said On Fox News. “Russ Vought has a plan, and this plan will succeed in empowering, which gives Trump more. It will be the worst nightmare of the Democrats,” said Lee.

The decision to cancel the financing of the energy department comes as Electricity demand should increase considerably For the first time in decades. Faced with the increase in power demand, the Trump administration has taken measures to Limit construction renewable energy projects. Public service managers and analysts said that clean energy projects were crucial to help feed new data and factories because they can be built quickly and produce relatively cheap electricity.

“Take the financing of blue states only will raised public service law for everyone,” said senator Jeff Merkley, Oregon Democrat, Oregon, Oregon Democrat Posted on X. “It’s not rocket science.”