Trump Administration reveals it canceled clean-energy grants for states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 election

In the filing, the Department of Energy (DOE) admitted the grants included in the cancellation of 284 grants in October 2025 were tied solely to “the political identity of the grant recipient’s state.”

The Trump administration is facing new scrutiny after admitting in a federal court filing that it recommended canceling hundreds of clean energy grants based solely on whether a state voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The revelation came in a July 15 filing tied to a class-action lawsuit challenging the cancellation of billions of dollars in federal funding. According to the filing, the Department of Energy recommended terminating more than 600 grants awarded in states that backed Harris and are represented by two Democratic senators.

The Office of Management and Budget ultimately canceled 284 of those grants in October 2025.

In the filing, the Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that grants included in the October cancellations were selected “solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state,” specifically, whether the projects were located in a “Blue State or a non-Blue State.”

“DOE accepts that the inclusion of grants in the October notice tranche was based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state,” Jeff Novak, lawyer for the Department of Energy, wrote. 

The lawsuit, brought by a group of researchers from the University of California, argues the administration unlawfully targeted federal grants for political reasons. The filing was first reported by The New York Times.

The court filing adds to ongoing criticism of President Donald Trump’s second-term approach to federal spending. Since his return to office in January 2025, the administration has sought to reshape how federal funds are distributed, with several Democratic-led states accusing the White House of using funding decisions to advance political priorities.

Earlier this year, the administration attempted to freeze $10 billion in social services funding for five Democratic-led states before reversing course. Civil rights groups have since filed suit against the administration.

In February, the Federal Emergency Management Agency released more than $5 billion in delayed disaster aid but excluded several Democratic-led states where Trump had publicly clashed with governors. The Department of Homeland Security denied that politics influenced those decisions.

“This administration has now admitted in court what has long been obvious: it terminated nearly 300 cost-cutting energy projects for no reason other than the fact that the states they were in did not vote for the president in the 2024 election,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said in a joint statement.

They added, “This is an astounding admission that the president and his team corruptly abused their power to kill good jobs and punish hard-working families because of their political views.”