States sue Trump over energy funding

(The Center Square) – Democratic attorneys general from 13 states on Wednesday sued the U.S. Department of Energy over its decision to terminate $2.7 billion in federal money for energy and infrastructure programs. The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, says the programs were mandated by bipartisan majorities in Congress and that the Trump administration violated the Constitution’s separation of powers, which gives Congress the power of the purse. The lawsuit is being co-led by attorneys general from California, Colorado and Washington state. Other plaintiffs are attorneys general from Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Besides the U.S. Department of Energy, defendants include Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the Office of Management and Budget, and OMB Director Russell Vought. In California, $1.2 billion in federal funding for Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen En