Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse slammed a federal appeals court decision that allows the Trump administration to claw back billions in climate funds.
The longtime climate hawk said that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit opinion undermines the power of Congress to appropriate funds.
A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that EPA can claw back remaining grant money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as the national “green bank.” The court required EPA to hold off for one week before they remove the funds, allowing time for plaintiffs to appeal.
The grant program, established in former President Joe Biden’s 2022 climate law, gives billions of dollars to nonprofits to invest in renewable energy ventures. The funds, obligated during the Biden administration, are currently in an account with Citibank, and total nearly $17 billion.
