Press Release: 2/19/2026
AG Campbell Files Lawsuit Against The Trump Administration For Illegally Terminating Funding For Energy And Infrastructure Programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/18/2026
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Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary
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Call Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543
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Email Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary at Allie.Zuliani@mass.gov
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today joined a coalition of 13 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful decision to terminate funding for congressionally mandated energy and infrastructure programs created by Congress in laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). The lawsuit challenges the decisions by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to terminate billions of dollars in energy and infrastructure awards nationwide.
“The Trump Administration’s unlawful multi-million-dollar cuts to projects across Massachusetts will hurt our economy and hinder our ability to benefit from renewable energy and meet our climate goals,” said AG Campbell. “The president cannot override funding decisions made by Congress and strip our communities of money they are legally entitled to. I will continue to hold this Administration accountable for their unlawful actions that threaten our economic progress and environmental future.”
On January 20th, 2025, President Trump issued executive orders, declaring a bogus “national energy emergency” and intent to “[t]erminat[e] the Green New Deal.” Pursuant to this directive, the DOE compiled a “kill list” of energy and infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars. The list was intended to further the Administration’s illegal objective of eliminating energy and infrastructure programs created by Congress in laws such as the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the 2022 IRA.
In May of 2025, DOE issued a policy memorandum asserting that it would subject previously funded projects to a vague and opaque “review” process. As a government shutdown loomed in late September of 2025, the President told reporters he could “do things during the shutdown that are irreversible” to attack Democrats, including “cutting programs that they like.” The next day, Russell Vought, the Director of OMB, posted on X that DOE would terminate nearly $8 billion in “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda.” The post listed sixteen states where projects would be defunded, all Democratically-leaning. DOE announced the cuts the next day, citing their May 2025 policy memorandum.
In Massachusetts, DOE terminated three cooperative agreements resulting in the loss of more than $8 million in funds. Among these is a $3.9 million award to the Department of Energy Resources for the purpose of supporting municipal building energy code updates to increase energy efficiency and resiliency. The termination will impede the Commonwealth’s ability to improve thermal performance in new construction sectors, reduce building operation costs, and meet its goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions and electrification readiness.
DOE also terminated a $1.2 million award to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for researching how solar energy infrastructure interacts with wildlife to identify how to improve the reliability and affordability of solar energy. The unlawful termination hinders the Commonwealth’s ability to develop renewable energy and meet its climate goals.
The final terminated agreement is a $3.6 million award to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for the purpose of increasing expertise in offshore wind at U.S. universities and establishing partnerships to address wind development challenges. By unlawfully terminating the award, DOE has deprived Massachusetts and its citizens of the opportunity to develop a new center of academic expertise at the state university and the opportunity to learn from research about how to address wind development challenges. This action harms Massachusetts’s ability to recruit students and effectively develop wind energy resources to meet its climate goals.
The complaint argues that the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate energy programs created by Congress is unlawful because it violates the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act. The programs were created by statute, and federal agencies have a duty to faithfully execute those laws. AG Campbell and the coalition ask the court to declare that the Trump Administration’s actions are unlawful and to permanently stop the Administration from interfering with these programs.
Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.