A group of 13 state attorneys general, including Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the termination of funding for energy and infrastructure programs established by Congress under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The legal action was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It challenges decisions made by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), DOE Secretary Chris Wright, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and OMB Director Russell Vought to halt billions of dollars in awards for energy projects across the country.
Attorney General Neronha stated: “Once more, this Administration can’t seem to grasp the fundamentals of the Constitution. Of course, they know they are breaking the law; they just don’t care. Congress, not the President, has the power of the purse, and Congress allocated this funding to help states move towards a clean energy future upon which future generations will rely. Whether or not clean energy aligns with this President’s policy goals is irrelevant; he cannot and will not sideline the will of Congress. Further, by targeting blue states here, the President is once again reaffirming what we know to be true: he and his Administration are far more concerned with retaliation and retribution than with doing anything to better the lives of the American people. We will win here, like we have in every other case of this kind, because we are right on the law.”
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued executive orders declaring a “national energy emergency” and ending what he called “the Green New Deal.” By March that year, DOE had identified at least $22 billion in cuts to its funded energy projects after determining these initiatives did not fit with current administration priorities. In May 2025, DOE released guidance stating that funding would be evaluated individually based on whether grants matched national interests.
As a potential government shutdown approached in September 2025, President Trump indicated his willingness to make lasting changes during such periods—including cutting programs favored by Democrats. On October 1st—the first day of a federal shutdown—OMB Director Vought announced nearly $8 billion would be cut from climate-related funding linked to Democratic priorities. The next day, DOE terminated 315 awards totaling $7.56 billion from funds appropriated under IIJA and IRA. All terminations affected only states that voted for Democratic candidates in 2024; similar projects in Republican-leaning states were not impacted.
In Rhode Island specifically, three DOE grants worth $14 million were canceled. These funds had been designated for research into offshore wind development and other clean energy infrastructure efforts.
The coalition’s complaint argues that eliminating these congressionally created programs violates both constitutional separation of powers principles and federal administrative law. The attorneys general seek a court order declaring these actions unlawful and preventing further interference with these programs.
Alongside Rhode Island’s Neronha, attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington State, and Wisconsin joined in filing this lawsuit.
