Trump EPA Trying to Claw Back $20 Billion in Green Grants — This Is Not Normal Politics

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Individuals don’t appear to know how the US is meant to work anymore. And whereas the Trump administration was supposedly going to give attention to reducing prices for Individuals, that’s by no means what it’s been doing to date. As an alternative, a key focus has been attacking packages and businesses that assist and shield working class folks, poor folks, and small companies. If that’s what they wish to do inside the powers of the chief department, nicely, effective, that’s what they will do. Nevertheless, they hold doing issues that aren’t inside their rights and are battering down the core foundations of our republic.

Congress passes legal guidelines, and Congress decides the place cash is spent and the way a lot. It’s typically referred to as “the power of the purse.” I vaguely bear in mind studying about that in highschool virtually 30 years in the past, however I’m positive many individuals in my class and different lessons weren’t paying a lot consideration and didn’t digest how our authorities works. Anyway, as soon as Congress passes a regulation and directs funding, the chief department can’t simply say, “nah, we’re not doing that.” It’s the job of the president and his cupboard to execute (as in, implementnot kill) the regulation. In fact, they’ve some management in how they implement it, and that may make massive variations. Traditionally, going from administration to administration, govt energy has led to swings in how issues are applied. Nevertheless, what you don’t see is an administration deploying billions of {dollars} in grants to adjust to a regulation handed by Congress after which the subsequent administration coming in and making an attempt to take that cash again or cancel funds. That’s absurd. It’s insane conduct. Nevertheless it’s what Trump’s appointed head of the US Environmental Safety Company (EPA), Lee Zeldin, is now making an attempt to do.

“In a major reversal, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said he will try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects,” AP studies. “In a video posted on XAdministrator Lee Zeldin mentioned the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging ‘green bank’ that’s set to fund tens of thousands of projects to battle local weather change and promote environmental justice.

“The program, approved under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is formally known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fundbut is more commonly called the green bank. Two initiatives, worth $14 billion and $6 billion respectively, are intended to offer competitive grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities.”

Be aware that this $20 billion was awarded in April 2024. It was awarded to the Local weather United Fund ($6.97 billion award), Coalition for Inexperienced Capital ($5 billion award), Energy Ahead Communities ($2 billion award), Alternative Finance Community ($2.29 billion award), Inclusiv ($1.87 billion award), Justice Local weather Fund ($940 million award), Appalachian Group Capital ($500 million award), and Native CDFI Community ($400 million award). You may learn extra particulars at that hyperlink. The brand new Trump administration can’t simply are available and rescind these grants.

In fact, they’re once more focusing on minorities, as a result of black and brown Individuals have been given an excessive amount of alternative and intergenerational privilege now. Though, this gained’t solely hit black and brown communities. There are various predominantly white rural communities which can be deprived and would get help from the “green bank” as nicely. So be it — there might be some sacrifices within the campaign towards extraordinarily tan folks.

“This is not just an attack on clean energy investments — it’s a blatant violation of the Constitution,” mentioned Lena Moffitt, govt director of Evergreen Motion. “The Trump team is once again trying to illegally slash programs meant to help American families to fund tax cuts for billionaires.”

That’s the quick and bitter of it, isn’t it? They’re making an enormous present about slicing hundreds of federal staff and shutting down businesses, businesses that usually save Individuals cash in web, in an effort to justify huge tax cuts for billionaires and firms. By no means thoughts that the mathematics just isn’t going to take a look at and there’s a a lot greater probability that the president who ballooned the deficit greater than any president in US historical past (Donald Trump) will achieve this once more.

Featured picture: Lee Zeldinby Gage Skidmore (Cc by in 2.0 license)