President Donald Trump has canceled nearly $8 billion in energy projects, with Illinois set to lose $583 million as part of the cuts that largely target states that did not support him in the 2024 election.
The announcement came shortly after Congress forced a federal government shutdown. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, posted on social media that the cuts were aimed at ending “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda.”
Illinois will see 33 awards eliminated, totaling more than $673 million, though $90 million of that amount had already been spent, according to U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. The affected projects include transportation electrification, solar energy, green buildings, and other initiatives.
Major Illinois recipients facing the largest losses include the nonprofit Gas Technology Institute (GTI) in Des Plaines, which stood to lose more than $400 million for carbon capture and methane emissions projects, along with the University of Illinois, Exelon, and Commonwealth Edison. Other canceled awards affect Cook County, the American Lung Association, Northwestern University, and Caterpillar, which had a hydrogen project planned in Peoria County.
Duckworth said in a statement that the cuts “jeopardize local and regional economic growth” and undermine trust in the federal government. “Unsurprisingly for anyone familiar with how Trump operates, the more than 300 projects canceled are overwhelmingly in states that did not vote for him,” she added.
The Department of Energy defended the move, saying it canceled projects nationwide after a “thorough, individualized financial review” and concluded they were not economically viable or advancing national energy needs. Recipients may appeal.
Illinois lawmakers criticized the decision. State Sen. Bill Cunningham called it “a mistake,” arguing that the cuts contradict the administration’s claims of supporting domestic energy production.
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted environmentally focused spending, calling climate change a “con job” and dismissing green initiatives as wasteful. Ahead of the shutdown, he threatened to use it as leverage against political opponents, with Illinois—long a Democratic stronghold—among the hardest hit.
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