Suspicions ran high that politics, rather than merit, were at the heart of the Trump administration’s axing of $7.6 billion in energy-related grants around the country last fall, including those in Stockton and Lodi.
Now, government lawyers have confirmed those theories in court papers. Documents filed this month show the decisions around which programs to cancel were based entirely on location: Projects in states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential contest were maintained, while all but one were cut in states considered solidly Democratic that backed Kamala Harris.
In San Joaquin County, the administration’s blue-state punishment meant pulling the plug on plans for a job-skills program to prepare low-income people for careers servicing electric cars and a $35 million hydrogen production plant in Lodi. They were among scores of projects lost in California.
Stocktonia reported at the time that politics were likely in play when it came to the decision to kill 223 programs nationwide. News service NOTUS reported that grants to programs in red states were being preserved, even when they appeared identical or similar to those in blue states.
The official line from the administration was that cutting out waste tied to climate change was at the heart of the decision. In a social media post in October, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget’s director, Russell Vought, announced: “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being canceled.” The number of programs to be cut ballooned to 284.
Some 79 projects were cut in California — more than any other state — according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times.
The recent court papers, as reported by the New York Times, show the deciding factors were far more targeted.
“With one exception, the 284 terminated grants had a recipient location and/or at least one place of performance in a state that awarded its electoral votes to Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and has two Democratic-caucusing senators,” an Energy Department lawyer wrote in filings related to a lawsuit contesting the cancellations.
Without the cuts, San Joaquin County would have seen the creation of a job-training program in Stockton and the Lodi Energy Center Hydrogen Project to generate carbon-free energy to power vehicles, port operations and research.
In October, U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, who represents much of Stockton and the county, called the cuts “outrageous.”
Reached for comment Tuesday, Harder blasted the disclosure that Trump support was at the heart of the decisions.
“Cancelling energy projects just because they’re in blue states is wrong,” he told Stocktonia in a statement. “Families are already paying too much on utility bills, and playing political games only makes it worse.”
Highlighting the disparity in cuts at the time, NOTUS pointed out that Minnesota — a blue state — lost $460 million in funding for an electrical transmission line expansion project, while Montana — a red state — had its $700 million grants left in place for its own power-line projects.
The Department of Energy had 17 programs for battery recycling and reprocessing nationwide, but the only ones cut were in California and Colorado, both of which backed Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Focusing on election outcomes rather than need for critical infrastructure irks Harder.
“I don’t care whether a project is in a red state or a blue state — if it lowers costs, creates jobs, and strengthens our energy future, we should be getting it done, not cancelling it to score political points,” he said Tuesday.