Court says Trump illegally blocked clean energy grants to Democratic states

"A United States judge has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump acted illegally when it cancelled the payment of $7.6bn in clean energy grants to states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. list of 3 itemsend of list"

"The grants were intended to support hundreds of clean energy projects across 16 states, including California, Colorado, New Jersey and Washington state. The projects included initiatives to create battery plants and hydrogen technology. But projects in those states were cancelled in October, as the Trump administration sought to ratchet up pressure on Democratic-led states during a heated government shutdown. At the time, Trump told the network One America News (OAN) that he would take aim at projects closely associated with the Democratic Party."

"Russell Vought, the Trump-appointed director for the Office of Management and Budget, posted on social media that month that funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda had been cancelled. The cuts included up to $1.2bn for a hub in California aimed at accelerating hydrogen technology, and up to $1bn for a hydrogen project in the Pacific Northwest. St Paul, Minnesota, was among the jurisdictions affected by the grant cuts."

US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally by cancelling $7.6 billion in clean energy grants to states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. The judge found the cancellations violated the Constitution’s equal protection requirements because officials admitted making termination decisions based primarily on whether awardees resided in states whose citizens voted for President Trump. The grants supported hundreds of projects across 16 states, including battery plants and hydrogen technology initiatives in California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington. The cuts occurred in October amid a government shutdown and prompted a lawsuit by St Paul and environmental groups.

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