DOE and EPA slash billions from renewable energy programs

EPA Administrator LZLee Zeldin terminated the $7 billion Solar for All program on Aug. 7, 2025, citing Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act as eliminating statutory authority and appropriated funds.

The program had already obligated grants to 60 state and nonprofit entities serving low-income communities, with $500 million specifically designated for tribal solar projects across 35 Great Lakes tribes.

Recipients lost access to the government grant portal immediately, with formal termination letters sent Thursday evening after months of groundwork and sub-awards had been completed.

Twenty state attorneys general filed federal lawsuits challenging the administration's authority to terminate congressional appropriations through executive action, arguing constitutional separation of powers violations.

Trump's megalaw also eliminated FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, canceling 400 applications worth billions in disaster preparation funding for flood protection and wildfire mitigation.

EPA workforce faces projected 65% reduction under LZLee Zeldin's restructuring plan, eliminating climate research divisions and environmental monitoring programs amid accelerating extreme weather events.

The Congressional Budget Office determined the megalaw would recover only $19 million in administrative funds to the Treasury, making the $7 billion termination primarily ideological rather than fiscal.