Court Filing Says Trump Administration Targeted Clean Energy Grants in Harris-Won States

A new federal court filing alleges the Trump administration recommended canceling hundreds of clean energy grants based on whether recipients were located in states won by Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The filing, submitted July 15 as part of a class-action lawsuit, states that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sent the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a list of more than 600 grants it recommended for termination. According to the filing, the recommendations were based solely on whether the grant recipients were located in states carried by Harris and represented by two senators who caucus with Democrats.

The Office of Management and Budget ultimately terminated 284 of those grants in October 2025, according to court documents.

The lawsuit was filed by a group of University of California researchers who argue the grant cancellations were politically motivated and unlawful. In the filing, the Department of Energy acknowledged that the grants included in the October cancellation notice were selected based "solely on the political identity" of the recipient's state.

The revelation has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the admission "unprecedented," while Representative Jamie Raskin described the actions as unconstitutional and called for the funding to be restored. Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Senator Patty Murray of Washington also criticized the decision, saying it represented an abuse of federal authority.

The grant cancellations are part of broader legal challenges surrounding federal funding decisions made during the Trump administration's second term. Earlier this year, the administration also faced scrutiny over efforts to freeze billions of dollars in federal funding for several Democratic-led states, as well as delays in distributing disaster aid.

CNN has reached out to the White House, the Department of Energy, the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Justice for comment.

The class-action lawsuit remains ongoing, and a federal court will determine whether the grant cancellations violated federal law.

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