Two Democratic lawmakers lashed out at Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday after seeing the latest version of his department's budget.
The latest DOE budget calls for significant funding reductions to wind, solar, and electric vehicles, Politico reported. That decision stands in contrast to a law President Donald Trump signed in March requiring all federal funding levels to be kept the same as the previous fiscal year.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) told Politico that Wright's move was an “outrageous, unlawful decision.”
“This isn’t a bureaucratic misstep – it’s a deliberate, partisan effort to sabotage bipartisan law and redirect funding to the energy sources favored by Secretary [Chris] Wright and his allies,” the lawmakers told the outlet in a joint statement.
Trump has sought to exert more control over Congressional spending during his second term. For instance, he attempted to pause all federal grants to public schools and scientific research facilities before the courts ruled his actions were illegal. He has also sought to influence how agencies spend their Congressionally appropriated funding by prohibiting them from writing grants to organizations that support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
Wright's actions to restrict funding for certain energy projects appear to be in the same vein as Trump's actions. They also come just a few weeks after Democrats questioned Wright about the status of clean energy projects under the DOE's purview.
Democrats say Wright misled the committee when he said his department had not paused or cancelled any funding for clean energy projects.