Trump officials cut nearly $8bn in clean energy projects in Democratic states | Trump administration

The Trump administration canceled $ 7.6 billion in subsidies that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, which all voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential election last year.

This decision comes as Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with the Democrats of the Congress for the government’s closure.

The energy department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects had been interrupted after an examination determined that they had not progressed the country’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details on reduced projects, but funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Energy efficiency and Renewable Energies Office and other offices of the Energy Department.

Cups are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, improvements in electricity network reduction and carbon capture efforts, among other things, according to the environmental advice for the defense of non -profit natural resources.

Russ Vought, the director of the White House budget, underlined the discounts in an article on social networks on Wednesday, saying that money “to feed the climate program of the left is canceled”.

He said the projects are on blocking in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesta, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington State.

Vought and the Department of Energy did not explain how they found their list of targeted states, given that dozens of states have clean energy projects. But the 16 targeted states supported Harris, and in each of these states, the two American senators voted against the Republican short -term financing bill to maintain the government.

Cups include up to $ 1.2 billion for the California hydrogen center, which aims to accelerate technology and hydrogen production, and up to $ 1 billion for a hydrogen project in the northwest Pacific. A Texas hydrogen project and a three-state project in Virginia-Western, Ohio and Pennsylvania have been spared, according to Clean Energy supporters who obtained a list of the objectives of the Department of Energy.

Trump said in an interview recorded Wednesday with One America News, a conservative outlet, that his administration could reduce the projects that Democrats want – “favorite projects, and they would be cut permanently”.

Trump’s comments show that he and Vought treat “American families and their livelihoods as pawns in a sort of sick political game,” said Patty Murray, a democratic senator from Washington.

“This administration has current plans for months to cancel critical energy projects, and now they illegally take measures to kill jobs and raise people’s energy bills,” she said in a statement. “This is a blatant attempt to punish political opposition.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the private sector had hired $ 10 billion for the state hydrogen project, known as the Alliance of Recordable Hydrogen Energy Systems (Arches). The Cup threatens more than 200,000 jobs, said Newsom.

Alex Padilla, a Democratic Senator from California, called for the cancellation of the “vindictive, short -view and proof project that this administration is not serious about the domination of American energy”.

California Project is one of the seven clean energy projects of Washington’s state of Washington selected by the Biden administration for a program of $ 7 billion to launch the development and production of hydrogen fuel, which is part of the agenda of former President Joe Biden to slow down the climate crisis.

“President Trump has promised to protect the dollars from taxpayers and extend the American, reliable and secure energy offer. Today’s cancellations give this commitment,” said energy secretary Chris Wright.

Wright told CNN Thursday evening that cancellations had nothing to do with closure or politics. “These decisions are made-commercial decisions as to whether it is a good use of taxpayers’ money or not. So, no, these projects will not be restored” when the government will reappear, he said.

Although current cancellations are in the States led by Democrat, Wright said that other projects, including hydrogen proposals in Virginia-Western, Texas and Louisiana, are being evaluated.

“We have already announced the cancellations of the project in the red and blue states. And over this fall, you will see cancellations in the red and blue states,” said Wright. “We have to save money from the Americans.”

The recipients have 30 days to appeal the decision to dismiss the energy department.

The Trump administration has largely targeted climatic programs and clean energy subsidies and proposes to reduce the emissions of vehicles and other greenhouse gas rules which, according to them, cannot be justified. Last week, the energy department canceled $ 13 billion for clean energy projects. The money was authorized by the congress in the climate law in 2022 signed by Biden but had not yet been spent.

Democrats and environmental organizations quickly slammed the last cuts, saying that they would increase energy costs.

“This is another blow from the Trump administration against innovative technology, jobs and clean energy necessary to meet the soil demand,” said Jackie Wong, senior vice-president at the NRDC.

Conrad Schneider, principal director of the Clean Air Task Force, said that the “draws the carpet” of dozens of communities and workers that rely on projects. This “also weakens the position of the United States on the world market” for innovative energy technologies, he said.