Connecticut officials accuse Trump administration of withholding energy grants

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont have accused the Trump administration of withholding $53 million in federal energy grants intended for Connecticut recipients. The officials claim the administration terminated $7.6 billion in clean energy grants a year ago based on whether the recipient states were won by Kamala Harris in 2024 and are represented by Democratic senators.

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta previously issued stipulated judgments in January and June, concluding that the administration’s cancellation of these grants was illegal. Despite these court rulings, the funding has not been released. The affected Connecticut recipients include the University of Connecticut and RTX, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney.

Senator Blumenthal noted that the administration has ignored the court’s conclusions without formally challenging them. The standoff follows efforts by 37 senators to urge Energy Secretary Chris Wright to release the Biden-era awards, which were reportedly blocked at the direction of federal budget director Russell Vought.