An appeals court overturned a federal judge’s ruling blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from terminating $20 billion in grants for several climate groups. The money was given without any vehicle for oversight.
A three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals panel on Tuesday issued a 2-1 ruling in favor of the Trump EPA’s efforts to slash billions of dollars in grant money that the Biden administration sent to green groups. The money was spent at the last minute. It appeared to be nothing more than a reckless effort to keep the new administration penniless.
The panel also slapped down the district court that said the EPA couldn’t do it, saying they “abused its discretion” by issuing the injunction preventing the EPA from rescinding the funds, the judges wrote. They said the plaintiffs were not likely to succeed in their case because it belonged in the Court of Federal Claims, rather than the district court.
There was a hold on the money sent overboard as the Biden ship was sinking at the end of his term. The groups who received the funds are left-wing: Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital, and Power Forward Communities.
The judge who placed the hold was D.C. Judge Chutkan, who comes from a family of Jamaican Marxists. She too was appointed by Barack Obama.
The Titanic Gold Bar Case
This is the case described by an EPA employee as similar to throwing gold bars off the Titanic. We don’t know if he is still employed. An undercover reporter caught an employee discussing it.
Huge news! Our awesome team @EPA just located BILLIONS of dollars worth of “gold bars” that the Biden Admin threw “off the titanic”.
Big update coming tomorrow…pic.twitter.com/md5qWEgUgV
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) February 11, 2025
The Scheme Was Uncovered and Addressed by Secretary Zeldin
In a March 11 statement, Zeldin said the EPA had conducted a “comprehensive review.” They identified “material deficiencies which pose an unacceptable risk to the lawful execution of these grants.”
“This scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history,” Zeldin said in a video on Feb. 13. “It was purposefully designed to obligate all of the money in a rushed job with reduced oversight.”
.@leezeldin sounds the alarm on waste and abuse uncovered at the @EPA:
“A Biden EPA political appointee said they were tossing gold bars off the Titanic— trying to get BILLIONS of $ out the door before Inauguration Day with an eye towards getting jobs at the recipient NGOs.” pic.twitter.com/vaa1Dw3uni
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 4, 2025
Excellent news for Sec. Zeldin and the millions of taxpayers he represents. He just keeps going after them.