House Republicans have dropped a bombshell report alleging a jaw-dropping $20 billion green energy grant program under Biden’s watch was a sloppy handout to Democratic cronies.
Fox News reported that according to the House Oversight Committee, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, funneled billions to just eight nonprofits with questionable oversight, sparking investigations and legal battles over potential mismanagement and political favoritism.
Let’s rewind to 2022, when the Inflation Reduction Act set aside $27 billion for clean energy and so-called “environmental justice” projects under the GGRF. House Republicans claim that as Biden’s term wound down, $20 billion was hastily disbursed to a select few nonprofits with barely a glance at accountability. It’s almost as if someone thought taxpayer money grows on solar-powered trees.
An undercover recording of a former Biden EPA appointee didn’t help the optics, likening the rushed disbursements to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic.” If that’s not a red flag, what is? The House report, after sifting through tens of thousands of documents, calls the review process a mess of contradictions, with EPA officials privately fretting over inflated financial promises and weak transparency.
Take Climate United Fund, a group slapped together just for GGRF cash, which ballooned from $95,557 in assets to a staggering $6.97 billion grant—a 7,293,980% spike. Then there’s Power Forward Communities, with a mere $100 in assets before snagging $2 billion, a mind-boggling 2,000,000,000% jump. These aren’t startups; they’re jackpot winners in a taxpayer-funded lottery.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer didn’t mince words, telling Fox News Digital, “Today’s report... exposes the Biden administration’s sweeping green energy scheme.” Schemes, indeed—when groups with ties to Biden and Obama insiders, like Climate United, employing a former Biden climate advisor, get billions, it’s hard not to smell favoritism. This isn’t about saving the planet; it’s about padding political pals’ pockets.
The EPA’s scoring system for GGRF applicants raises eyebrows, too, prioritizing “equity and environmental justice” as heavily as financial stability while downplaying governance or legal risks. All awardees had “climate equity” or DEI policies in place, as if ideological checklists trumped actual results. Meanwhile, some applicants were dinged for lacking “environmental justice” expertise on their boards—since when did activism outweigh competence?
Then there’s the cozy connections: Power Forward, founded by executives tied to Obama advisors through nonprofit Rewiring America, planned to funnel nearly $500 million to that very group. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the conflicts “blatant,” and he’s not wrong—especially when the Biden-picked GGRF director had to recuse himself over ties to a group budgeting $24.8 million for just seven executives over three years.
Power Forward’s CEO Tim Mayopolous defended the process on CBS News, saying it was “highly structured, competitive.” Structured? When your group wasn’t even formed until after the application process began, that sounds more like opportunistic than organized.
Let’s talk executive pay—Climate United’s CEO rakes in over $500,000, while Power Forward’s boss starts at $800,000, eyeing a bump past $900,000 in a year. These aren’t modest nonprofits; they’re high-roller clubs funded by your hard-earned dollars. The House report flags inflated salaries and travel perks as a slap in the face to taxpayers expecting genuine green progress.
After the Trump administration took over, the EPA pulled the plug on most grants, triggering Democratic backlash and legal fights. A federal appeals court recently upheld the freeze, affirming the administration’s right to ensure proper oversight. Finally, a bit of sanity in this green money grab.
Investigations are now in full swing, with the EPA’s inspector general, the Justice Department, and the FBI digging into the GGRF mess. No criminal wrongdoing has been confirmed yet, but with Comer vowing that “Oversight Republicans will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable,” the heat is on. Americans deserve transparency, not a partisan piggy bank.
Democrats, meanwhile, are dodging the spotlight—top figures like Rep. Yvette Clarke and Rep. Robert Garcia declined or ignored requests for comment. A letter signed by Clarke and others on August 11 accused EPA’s Zeldin of “lying” about the funding, but where’s the defense of this program’s glaring flaws? Hiding behind accusations won’t make $20 billion in questionable grants disappear.
Climate United’s spokesperson Brooke Durham told Fox News Digital, “These tired allegations distract from... EPA’s illegal funding freeze.” Distract? When billions are handed to groups with barely any assets but deep Democratic ties, the only distraction is pretending this is about “cheap, clean energy” rather than political payoffs.
The GGRF, branded by the House report as a “National Green Bank” for partisan projects, feels less like environmental stewardship and more like a progressive wish list. Taxpayers aren’t ATMs for the left’s Green New Deal dreams, no matter how noble the rhetoric. It’s time for accountability, not ideology, to drive energy policy.
