Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration Illegally Cancelled Nearly $8 Billion in Clean Energy Grants to Democratic States
A federal judge ruled the Trump administration unlawfully canceled about $7.6 billion in clean-energy grants to Democratic-leaning states and ordered partial reinstatement of some funding.
Overview
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled the Trump administration illegally terminated roughly $7.6–8 billion in Energy Department grants awarded to projects located predominantly in Democratic-leaning states.
Terminations affected 223 projects across 16 states, including hydrogen hubs, battery plants, grid upgrades and carbon-capture efforts in California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington and other blue states.
The Energy Department said projects failed to meet energy priorities or economic viability standards; OMB director Russell Vought framed cuts as cancelling the 'Left's climate agenda' on social media.
Mehta found officials targeted grantees based on state voting patterns, violating the Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee because political classification lacked rational relation to stated interests.
Court reinstated seven small grants totaling $27.6 million; many terminations remain unaffected and broader relief for all cancelled awards is unresolved pending further litigation.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an unlawful, partisan purge of blue-state climate funding, using charged language, selective emphasis, and the judge’s damning findings to establish motive. They foreground the ruling and provocative social-media posts, prioritize plaintiffs’ harms, and give limited space to administration defenses, creating a narrative of political discrimination.
Sources (3)
FAQ
The cancellations affected 223 projects including hydrogen hubs, battery plants, grid upgrades, and carbon-capture efforts in 16 Democratic-leaning states.
Projects in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington were targeted, all of which supported Kamala Harris in 2024.[2]
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the Trump administration violated the Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee by targeting grantees based on state voting patterns, which lacked a rational relation to stated interests.[2]
The court ordered the reinstatement of seven small grants totaling $27.6 million, while many other terminations remain unaffected pending further litigation.[2]
The Energy Department claimed projects failed to meet energy priorities or economic viability standards, with OMB director Russell Vought framing it as canceling the 'Left's climate agenda'.
History
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