On Friday, Gov.
Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) criticized the Donald Trump administration after a court filing acknowledged that more than $7.5 billion in federal clean energy grants were selected for termination based on whether recipient states backed Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
Court Filing Sparks Blue State Grant Controversy In a post on X, Newsom wrote, "The corrupt Trump administration has just admitted to withholding taxpayer dollars from states based on how they voted." He added, "Last I checked we were a democracy, not a dictatorship.
Where the hell is Congress?" The corrupt Trump administration has just admitted to withholding taxpayer dollars from states based on how they voted.Last I checked we were a democracy, not a dictatorship.Where the hell is Congress?— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 24, 2026 The controversy stems from court filings in a lawsuit challenging the cancellation of Biden-era clean energy funding, The Guardian reported.
According to the filing, the Department of Energy accepted that the grants included in an October termination notice were not chosen based on "programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction or performance-based" criteria.
