Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Restore $8 Billion in Funding for Energy Projects It Illegally Canceled
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to demand the Trump administration restore funding for 223 energy projects in Democratic-led states that were unlawfully canceled even though Congress had approved and appropriated funding for them.
“We write in strong opposition to the Trump administration unlawfully cancelling $8 billion in federal investments in 223 energy projects,” the senators wrote to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. “For the 21 states with impacted projects, your cancellations will mean thousands of lost jobs for Americans, many of whom had every reason to rely on the stability of their jobs before these cancellations and all of whom will face uncertain job markets in our increasingly slowing economy.”
“218 out of 223 projects that were terminated are in states with Democratic leadership. Even in programs where awards were made across all 50 states, such as the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, only projects in Democratically led states were cancelled—while similar projects in “red states” remain,” the senators continued.
“These are impacts that will be felt by Americans, regardless of their political views,” the senators concluded. “For the good of our country, the rule of law, and the American people, we demand that you change course and restore the previously awarded funding.”
The letter was led by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Patty Murray, D-Wash., Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Richard Durbin , D-Ill., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Brian Schatz, D-Hawai‘i, Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Peter Welch, D-Vt., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Chris Coons, D-Del., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Michael Bennett, D-Colo., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Cory Booker, D-N.J.
Earlier this week, Wyden blasted Republicans for self-inflicting a nationwide energy crisis by gutting renewable energy sources. Wyden’s full remarks on the Senate floor can be found here.
The full letter is available here.
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