Trump Administration Cuts $8 Billion in Green Energy Funding to 16 Blue States During Government Shutdown
Well, Democrats thought they had the Trump administration cornered with a government shutdown, wielding the federal budget like a club to force concessions. But it seems they miscalculated spectacularly.
The shutdown began Wednesday morning after Democrats blocked a clean continuing resolution that would have funded the government at current funding levels through November. Their strategy seemed simple enough: force a crisis, blame Republicans, and extract political victories from the chaos.
But they forgot who they were dealing with.
President Donald Trump had warned them explicitly: Hours before the shutdown, he told reporters that Democrats were “taking a risk” because the shutdown would enable his administration to make “irreversible” cuts to programs Democrats cherish.
“We can cut large numbers of people out. We don’t want to do that, but we don’t want fraud, waste, and abuse,” Trump said, specifically mentioning Russell Vought’s ability to “trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way.”
As Trump warned, The Democrats’ gambit collapsed within hours. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought delivered the first crushing blow Wednesday evening with a simple social media post that sent shockwaves through blue state capitals:
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Vought wrote in a post on X, adding that more details would become available via the Department of Energy.
The cuts are to projects in blue, or blue-leaning states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
The targeted states read like a roll call from the 2024 election’s blue column. Every single one had voted for Kamala Harris.
The Energy Department later confirmed the scope: 321 awards supporting 223 projects terminated, spanning wind farms, solar installations, and EV charging stations. A senior administration official, speaking candidly, called them “windmills/bird grave yards” and “boondoggles or safety risks.”
The shutdown began Wednesday morning after Democrats blocked a clean continuing resolution that would have funded the government at current funding levels through November. Their strategy seemed simple enough: force a crisis, blame Republicans, and extract political victories from the chaos.
But they forgot who they were dealing with.
President Donald Trump had warned them explicitly: Hours before the shutdown, he told reporters that Democrats were “taking a risk” because the shutdown would enable his administration to make “irreversible” cuts to programs Democrats cherish.
“We can cut large numbers of people out. We don’t want to do that, but we don’t want fraud, waste, and abuse,” Trump said, specifically mentioning Russell Vought’s ability to “trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way.”
As Trump warned, The Democrats’ gambit collapsed within hours. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought delivered the first crushing blow Wednesday evening with a simple social media post that sent shockwaves through blue state capitals:
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Vought wrote in a post on X, adding that more details would become available via the Department of Energy.
The cuts are to projects in blue, or blue-leaning states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
The targeted states read like a roll call from the 2024 election’s blue column. Every single one had voted for Kamala Harris.
The Energy Department later confirmed the scope: 321 awards supporting 223 projects terminated, spanning wind farms, solar installations, and EV charging stations. A senior administration official, speaking candidly, called them “windmills/bird grave yards” and “boondoggles or safety risks.”
70-79, M
