Billions in question as Trump freezes DOE loan spending

By Hannah Northey, Christa Marshall | 01/27/2025 06:48 AM EST

The acting secretary called for a review of loans and other department actions, raising questions about the fate of funding that has yet to be finalized.

U.S. Department of Energy headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C.

Department of Energy headquarters in Washington. Francis Chung/POLITICO

President Donald Trump last week froze spending on loan guarantees out of the Department of Energy, throwing billions of dollars worth of conditional commitments tied to critical minerals, hydrogen and utilities into question.

Ingrid Kolb, the acting Energy secretary, halted spending and loans and called for reviews of those decisions in a Jan. 20 memo obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News that was sent to the various leaders within the department. The memo also called for a review of personnel actions, publication of material in the Federal Register, and other agency actions.

“As we navigate through this transition period for a new Administration within the Department of Energy (DOE), it is imperative to ensure a deliberate approach to the Administration’s programmatic and administrative policies and priorities,” wrote Kolb.

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“All funding and financial assistance activities including loans, loan guarantees, grants, cost sharing agreements, funding opportunity announcements, and contracts shall not be announced, approved, finalized, modified, or provided until a review of such takes place to ensure compliance with Congressional authorization and Administration policy,” Kolb continued.

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