Trump Tries to Cancel Millions More for EV Charging — Illegally, Of Course

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.


Or support our Kickstarter campaign!

One of the first things Donald Trump did when he got into office (the second time) was try to stop funding for and development of cleantech. Honestly, it’s one of the most ridiculous things one could imagine a president focusing on, but then again, that list is long with this one.

As part of that, the Trump administration tried to cancel funds it had already approved, and take back money it had already granted, for the development of EV charging stations. The court system is a nice check on the power of the executive in the United States, but it is also a laboriously slow arm of the government. Eventually, the courts did say that those efforts were not legal and the funds had to flow.

One might think that was the end of it. Well, with a presidency that respected the rule of law and this country’s balance of powers, that might have been true. But we all know that is not this presidency.

Apparently, Trump and his fossil-powered henchmen are at it again. “Yesterday, the New York Post reported that the Trump administration is targeting elimination of over $900 million in federal funding from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant program,” the Sierra Club informed us today. Luckily, we do have lawyers from that and other organizations fighting for what is right.

“Another day, another example of the Trump administration illegally attempting to eliminate clean energy infrastructure funds that have been promised to communities for cleaner vehicles, cleaner air, and good jobs. No matter how hard they try to bend to the fossil fuel industry in betrayal of the American people, they will not succeed in withholding Congressionally-mandated federal funds for EV charging,” the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García states. “We fought tooth and nail to reverse the administration’s unlawful freeze of the NEVI charging program—and we won. We’ll do the same for CFI.”

Note that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. It designated that $2.5 billion be provided via the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant program over the course of 5 years, among many other things. Congress holds the power of the purse. The president cannot say that this program will now not be implemented. He also cannot take away funding already granted through it.

Of course, Trump is testing the limits of our constitutional federal republic and the rule of law, and trying to incinerate them. So, we will see where all this leads. I think he has other things to focus on, and this may eventually resolve as it is supposed to. But we will see.