Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) tore into President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of unlawfully interfering with federal green energy investments in her long-contested swing state.
Trump caused widespread chaos throughout the federal government and among federally-backed nonprofits when his Office of Management and Budget issued a directive suspending the release of federal funds for programs across the board. Federal courts swiftly ordered the payments to resume — but according to KTNV, the funds have still not been released for Solar for All, a $7 billion Environmental Protection Agency program that was set to provide $156 million in funding in Nevada alone, for solar panel installations at some 20,000 households in the state.
Lee laid into Trump over the pause.
"It’s illegal for Trump to freeze federal investments that were already signed into law and he will be fought in court," wrote Lee. "Let me be clear: Trump’s federal cash grab and tariffs will jack up costs for working Nevadans so he can give payouts and tax breaks to billionaires. Slashing solar investments in Nevada is just the beginning of Trump’s unconstitutional presidential power trip."
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Trump spent much of the 2024 presidential campaign attacking green energy and electrification investments, many of which were signed into law by former President Joe Biden in the Inflation Reduction Act. He has particularly targeted wind power, pushing debunked Fox News talking points that wind turbines "kill all your birds" and that offshore wind installations are "driving whales a little batty." He has also vowed to block California's tailpipe emissions standards, arguing they are effectively an "electric vehicle mandate."
Comparatively, Trump has not spent as much time attacking solar power. However, he has criticized the idea of utility-scale solar installations, falsely claiming they endanger rabbits, and telling Fox's Sean Hannity, “You know what else people don’t like? … [T]hose massive solar fields built over land that covers 10 miles by 10 miles.”
Trump has largely remained silent about rooftop installations like those promoted by Solar for All but has more broadly vowed to scrap the Inflation Reduction Act, which made that program possible.
Last week, the Senate confirmed Trump's EPA administrator, former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY). During that hearing, Zeldin acknowledged the reality of climate change but did not acknowledge the EPA had a mandate to control greenhouse gas emissions contributing to it.
