U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said on July 25 that the Trump administration admitted in court documents to canceling grants and funding for energy projects in Democratic-led states due to partisan politics.
“This reporting proves what we’ve known all along: the Trump administration’s decision to cancel energy project grants in states where Donald Trump lost in 2024 was nakedly political and vengeful,” Heinrich said.
Heinrich criticized President Trump’s approach to the energy sector, saying, “Since President Trump was sworn into office, he’s played a dangerous game of politics with our energy sector – slow-walking solar and wind project approvals, outright canceling offshore wind project approvals and energy project grants, killing thousands of made-in-America jobs and tanking billions in private sector investment.” He added that instead of lowering costs for working families as promised, Trump’s actions had led to higher energy bills and gas prices, “The American people deserve a government that works for them, not one that plays politics with their lives and jobs.”
This is not the first time such admissions have been made by the administration. Heinrich recalled questioning Secretary Wright before the committee earlier this year about whether political appointees were involved in reviewing $3.7 billion worth of awards. “‘Well, it’s absolutely the case.’ Those are your words,” Heinrich said during that hearing. He continued by referencing further admissions from federal court documents: “Last October, DOE unlawfully canceled $8 billion in federal investments in 223 energy projects, almost entirely in states with Democratic leadership. DOE then confirmed in federal court that the cancellations were based on whether a project was in a blue state.”
In response to these actions last October, Heinrich led 36 senators sending a letter demanding restoration of funding for those projects from Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. At that time he described the move as “nakedly political, unhinged, and unlawful,” highlighting ten affected projects located within New Mexico.