Congressional Republicans are investigating a “green energy” program that occurred during the administration of former President Joe Biden, which reportedly funneled billions of dollars to Democrat-aligned groups and allies of the president.
The Republican leadership on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits who were given grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to ask questions and ensure that proper ethics were followed and that there were no conflicts of interest, Fox News reported.
On March 3, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release in which it questioned the massive giveaway that came as the Biden administration was winding down.
“It is my pledge to be accountable for every penny the EPA spends. This marks a stark turn from the waste and self-dealing of the Biden-Harris Administration intentionally tossing ‘gold bars off the Titanic.’ The American people deserve accountability and responsible stewardship of their tax dollars. We will continue to deliver,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a letter to the agency’s inspector general.
“For example, a Stacey Abrams linked organization that reported just $100 in revenue in 2023, was chosen to receive $2 billion—that’s 20 million times the organization’s reported revenue. To highlight just how unqualified this organization was, the grant agreement provided 90 days to complete ‘How to Develop a Budget’ training even though the organization was instructed to start spending down the balance in the first 21 days of that timeframe,” the press release said.
“Recent findings reveal a pattern of reckless financial management, blatant conflicts of interest, astonishing sums of tax dollars awarded to unqualified recipients, and severe deficiencies in regulatory oversight under the prior administration,” the letter to the Inspector General said.
“[W]e will continue to aggressively pursue enhanced oversight, answers, and accountability. We stand firmly alongside the Office of the Inspector General in our shared mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse with the EPA,” it said.
“One of the most disturbing initial indicators of financial misconduct is a publicly circulated video of a former Biden Administration EPA political appointee boasting that officials were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic’ — rushing to distribute billions in taxpayer dollars before the incoming administration could review or halt improper disbursements. Even more troubling, the official implied that political favoritism influenced funding decisions, with expectations of securing employment at grant-recipient organizations,” the press release said.
“Given the magnitude and significant risks to taxpayer funds, I am formally requesting your assistance with a comprehensive review of this arrangement and the issues involved. I value your recommendations,” the letter said.
Now Republicans are demanding answers.
“The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA,” the Republican lawmakers, who included House Energy and Commerce Chairman and Kentucky Rep. Brett Guthrie, and committee members Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer and Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith.
“A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients,” it said.
Some of the groups that were recipients of the funds sued President Donald Trump’s administration after it froze funds that were set to be given to them, but that freeze was halted by Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan who issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the EPA from freezing the $14 billion.
Chutkin was famously the judge who handled the Trump classified documents case in Washington, D.C., which effectively ended after he defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
