Cortez Masto, Heinrich, Murray Demand Trump Administration Restore Funding for Canceled Energy Projects

The letter follows an admission from the Trump Administration that the decision to cancel energy project grants in states that did not vote for Trump was “ based solely ” on politics Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 36 of her colleagues joined a letter led by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) demanding that U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought restore funding for the 223 energy projects canceled in October 2025. This month, the Trump Administration admitted that these energy grants were canceled because the projects were in states that did not vote for President Trum p in the 2024 election. “Now that court documents have confirmed what we knew to be true, we write to demand that you restore previously awarded funding that the Trump administration has weaponized in an attempt to punish perceived political enemies,” the Senators began. “Once an administration begins punishing Americans for how they vote, the threat extends far beyond these projects: no state, community, business, or worker can trust that the federal government will apply the law fairly,” the Senators continued. “This is not only an attack on jobs, affordable energy, and America’s economic competitiveness. It is an attack on the rule of law and the basic democratic principle that the federal government serves the entire country—not merely those who support the President.” “At a time when energy prices are skyrocketing, the administration is hell-bent on political retribution instead of working to bring down costs for millions of Americans. The American people deserve to have a government that works for them – not one that is willing to push energy prices even higher and put the country’s energy security at grave risk,” the Senators concluded. “For the good of our country, the rule of law, and the American people, we demand that you change course and restore the previously awarded funding.” The full text of the letter can be found here . Senator Cortez Masto has consistently used her position in the federal government to fight for Nevadans against the abuses of the Trump Administration. She has demanded transparency from the Trump Administration about the U.S. bombing of an Iranian elementary school and has pushed back against the Administration’s anti-democratic plan to restrict voting by mail. Cortez Masto has used her seat on key Senate committees to grill members of the Trump Administration – including Vought , Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and Interior Secretary Doug Bergum – about their disastrous policies. ###