Federal Grant Cancellations Tied to State Politics: Court Filing

2 weeks ago 0

Federal green grants that were canceled last year were chosen “solely” based on the political affiliation of states, according to a recent court filing from the Trump administration.

In the filing, Department of Energy (DOE) attorney Jeff Novak stated that the department crafted a list of 624 grants slated for potential termination. Novak mentioned that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) selected 284 of these grants for cancellation. He noted that all but one of the selected grants were linked to states that voted for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and had two Democratic-caucusing senators.

Novak emphasized that the remaining 340 grants have not been canceled. He stated, “DOE accepts that the inclusion of grants in the October notice tranche was based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state.” He clarified that this was not due to any programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction, or performance-based considerations.

Although the OMB’s selections were politically driven, Novak indicated that for the original list of 624 cancellations proposed by the DOE, “the political identity of the grant recipient’s state was not a factor.”

For more details, visit TheHill.com.

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