Blumenthal Demands Answers from DOE on $53 Million Grant Cancellations

[Hartford, CT] - Today U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright demanding answers about the reckless and retaliatory termination of nearly $53 million in federal funding for clean energy development in Connecticut.

"These projects were supporting lower energy prices, grid reliability, and American energy independence. Cancelling them - in a manner that is illogical, chaotic, and illegal - will only result in increased energy costs, less electricity reliability, and more pollution, hurting the American people," Blumenthal wrote.

On Wednesday, October 2, 2025 Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, announced on X that the Department of Energy had cancelled $8 billion worth of projects for clean energy projects. A press release from DOE issued late Wednesday confirmed the termination of the projects, but did not list the affected projects or provide any useful information.

Additionally, many awardees were not notified by DOE that their funds were cancelled at the time of Vought's announcement or the DOE press release.

"Saying only that projects were "not consistent with this Administration's goals, policies and priorities," your department cancelled billions of dollars of funding for projects that were already approved, and in many instances, underway," Blumenthal continued.

Blumenthal's letter demands answers from Wright as to why these 12 projects funds were cancelled and how the projects were identified for termination.

Blumenthal's full letter can be found below:

October 6, 2025

The Honorable Chris Wright

Secretary

Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, D.C. 20585

Dear Secretary Wright,

I write to demand answers about the Department of Energy's (DOE) reckless, haphazard, and retaliatory cancellation of almost $8 billion in previously approved funding, including almost $53 million for twelve projects in Connecticut, just hours into a government shutdown. These projects were supporting lower energy prices, grid reliability, and American energy independence. Cancelling them - in a manner that is illogical, chaotic, and illegal - will only result in increased energy costs, less electricity reliability, and more pollution, hurting the American people.

On the first day of the government shutdown, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, posted on X, that "nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," and listed sixteen states that all voted Democratic in the last election. This post seemingly caught the DOE unaware, as it took hours for your department to issue a corresponding release. However, that release did not include the list of projects being cancelled. Only after repeated inquiries did you release that list shortly after midnight on Thursday, October 2nd. The list was extremely scant on details, including only a recipient name and award number, without information on the nature of the award or the amount of funding being rescinded.

The next day, my office contacted all eight entities in Connecticut that appeared on your hit list to gather additional information about the cancelled grants, including any justification from DOE for the cancellations. We were unable to assist our constituents because they had not received any formal notification from DOE, finding out about the cancellations only through media reports and our inquiries. It was not until later Thursday evening that some affected entities began receiving information from the DOE in the form of a termination letter that's logic is circular at best.

Saying only that projects were "not consistent with this Administration's goals, policies and priorities," your department cancelled billions of dollars of funding for projects that were already approved, and in many instances, underway.

To understand your role in this brazen political attack on previously approved funding, I demand answers to the following questions by no later than October 20, 2025:

1. Were you or anyone at the Department of Energy aware of Director Vought's October 1st X post announcing the cancellation of $8 billion before it was published?

a. Does Director Vought routinely make final decisions about funding notices for the Department of Energy?

b. Going forward, will DOE require employees to monitor Director Vought's X account to stay abreast of policy announcements for the department?

2. When did the DOE begin its review of the 321 awards that were cancelled?

a. What criteria did the department use to evaluate those projects?

3. Why were all cancelled projects located in states that voted against President Trump in the 2024 election?

a. Did the DOE review similar projects in states that voted Republican in the last election? If so, please explain why those projects were not cancelled and how they differed from the cancelled projects.

4. Why did the DOE choose to announce these project cancellations on the first day of a government shutdown?

5. When did the DOE first notify recipients that their awards had been cancelled?

a. Did each recipient receive the same termination letter?

b. Why did the termination letters fail to provide specific information, citing the terms and conditions of the Federal award, to justify the grounds for termination?

6. Did any entity receive a justification for cancellation more specific than "This project no longer effectuates the Department of Energy's priorities or energy dominance"?

a. If so, how many? Please give a sampling of the specific grounds for cancellation.

7. How do projects improving grid resilience and lowering energy costs fail to comply with this Administration's goals?

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1. Energy & the Environment