Trump administrator freezes EV charging program that gave Tesla
The Department of Transport (DOT) has suspended funds for a $5 billion EV charging infrastructure program in which Tesla received at least $31 million. This movement is widely seen as illegal.
The latest attempt from the Trump administration is trying to hack federally funded renewable energy projects around the country. Priority For the president in his first few weeks of inauguration.
It also proof that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s politics is increasingly at odds with the automotive company’s goal of moving towards sustainable energy. By mid-last year, Tesla had won about 6% of all awards nElectric Vehicle Infrastructure (Nevi) Program in question wins millions of dollars in the process.
One of the first executive orders Trump signed in January We aimed to charge our infrastructure programsIncludes Nevi.
Now a letter It said it was sent to the directors of the state’s DOT office on Thursday. “New Leadership for the Department of Transport” says it wants a “Review of the Policies Underlying the Implementation of NEVI” program.
The Federal Highways Agency, the DOT agency that wrote the letter, updated Nevi’s guidance and said it would be published for public comments on “The Spring.” The DOT division says new funds will not be available until new guidance is confirmed. InsideEvs was First I reported the letter.
Nevi was part of the bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed into law in 2021. Congress allocated $1 billion annually to the program from 2022 to 2026.
Beth Hamon, a senior vehicle charging advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement that the Trump administration “does not have the authority to stop it on a whim.” ”
“Stop midstream funding will create chaos and delays in states across the country, which will cast state efforts into chaos, create chaos with businesses that install chargers and put workers at risk ” she said. “The only winner from this disruption is the oil industry.”
Clean transportation for all Sierra Club directors, Katherine Garcia, said the lawsuit was illegal and was an “attack on bipartisan funds approved by Congress many years ago.”
The Trump administration is trying to stop the flow of money allocated by Congress across the government – that’s what Legal experts say it’s a major violation of the constitutional order..
His management and budget office announced Freezing government-wide spending It is already full of many legal challenges. It canceled that note, but it has been reported Some payment freezes continue. Meanwhile, Musk is looting multiple government agencies along with a team of engineers and technical executives. Deprive computer access to payments and other sensitive systems.