WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.
The move comes as President Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.
The Energy Department said in a statement Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other DOE bureaus.
The cuts are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and carbon-capture efforts, among many others, according to the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Russell Vought, the White House budget director, highlighted the cutbacks in a social media post late Wednesday, saying money “to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled.”
He said projects are on the chopping block in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state.
Vought and the Energy Department did not explain how they came up with their list of targeted states, considering that dozens of states have clean energy projects. But all 16 targeted states supported Harris, and in each of those states, both U.S. senators voted against the Republican's short-term funding bill to keep the government working.
The cuts include up to $1.2 billion for California’s hydrogen hub that is aimed at accelerating hydrogen technology and production, and up to $1 billion for a hydrogen project in the Pacific Northwest. A Texas hydrogen project and a three-state project in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania were spared, according to clean-energy supporters who obtained a list of the DOE targets.
Trump said in an interview taped Wednesday with One America News, a conservative outlet, that his administration could cut projects Democrats want — “favorite projects, and they’d be permanently cut."
"I’m allowed to cut things that never should have been approved in the first place and I will probably do that,” Trump said. A clip from the interview was released ahead of the full interview set to air Thursday night.
Trump’s comments show that he and Vought are treating American “families and their livelihoods like pawns in some sort of sick political game,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
“This administration has had plans in the works for months to cancel critical energy projects, and now they are illegally taking action to kill jobs and raise people’s energy bills,” she said in a statement. “This is a blatant attempt to punish the political opposition.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the private sector has committed $10 billion for the state's hydrogen project, known as the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES. The cut threatens over 200,000 jobs, Newsom said.
California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla called cancelation of the project “vindictive, shortsighted and proof this administration is not serious about American energy dominance.”
The California project is one of seven clean-energy projects from West Virginia to Washington state selected by the Biden administration for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, part of former President Joe Biden’s agenda to slow climate change.
The Energy Department said it has reviewed billions of dollars awarded by the Biden administration after Trump won the presidential election last November. More than a quarter of the rescinded grants were awarded between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the department said.
“President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand America’s supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy. Today’s cancellations deliver on that commitment,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.
Wright told CNN Thursday night that the cancellations had nothing to do with the shutdown or politics. “These decisions are made — business decisions on whether it’s a good use of the taxpayer money or not. So, no, these projects will not be restored” when the government reopens, he said.
While the current cancellations are in Democratic-led states, Wright said other projects, including hydrogen proposals in West Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, are being evaluated.
“We’ve announced project cancellations before in red and blue states. And as this fall goes on, you’ll see cancellations in red and blue states,'' Wright said. “We’ve got to save Americans money."
Award recipients have 30 days to appeal the Energy Department’s termination decision.
The Trump administration has broadly targeted climate programs and clean energy grants, and is proposing to roll back vehicle emission and other greenhouse gas rules it says can’t be justified. Last week, the Energy Department rescinded $13 billion that was intended for clean energy projects. The money was authorized by Congress in the 2022 climate law signed by Biden but had not yet been spent.
Democrats and environmental organizations were quick to slam the latest cuts, saying they would raise energy costs.
"This is yet another blow by the Trump administration against innovative technology, jobs and the clean energy needed to meet skyrocketing demand,'' said Jackie Wong, a senior vice president at NRDC.
Conrad Schneider, senior director at the Clean Air Task Force, said the move “pulls the rug out” from dozens of communities and workers that are counting on the projects. It also "weakens the U.S.’s position in the global marketplace'' for innovative energy technologies, he said.
Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.
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Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., prepare for a news conference to speak about the government shutdown, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, listens as he addresses members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After a four-year break, K-pop supergroup BTS returns Saturday with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police are locking down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle expected to draw tens of thousands of fans.
The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a monthslong global tour spanning dozens of shows across the United States, Europe and Asia.
All seven members of the band — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world's biggest pop acts.
The hourlong concert comes a day after the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” which had already logged several million preorder sales since January.
The band’s management company, HYBE, said RM injured his ankle during a rehearsal Thursday but was expected to perform with some limitations.
Officials expect the BTS concert to draw more than 200,000 people to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others planning to watch on screens nearby. It will be streamed live on Netflix.
“It will be amazing because it’s been so long that BTS (was) not with us,” said Dallila Di Tullio, a 32-year old fan from Italy, who called the concert a once-in-a-century event. Marta Corona, a 25-year-old Polish fan, said she would be seeing BTS in person for the first time since a 2019 performance in London. “It’s been a while — I’m very excited,” she said.
BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army.” It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”
Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of the BTS returning as a full-group after years of pause would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation, “KPop Demon Hunters.”
Police and city officials are imposing stringent crowd-control measures, closing nearby streets, roads and museums, halting the area’s subway and bus services, and sealing off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounts to a full-day shutdown of the district.
Cars will be barred from the main road between Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall for more than 30 hours through Sunday morning. The government has stepped up anti-terror monitoring, citing global tensions and large crowds of international fans, while police deployed surveillance vehicles and jamming equipment to block unauthorized drones. The restrictions have forced nearby shops to close and deliveries to pause.
While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a deadly 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls are excessive and undercut the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.
Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert comes about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those monthslong rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.
The new BTS album, “ARIRANG,” draws on a centuries-old folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem in both North and South Korea while Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace form a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show.
South Korean officials are counting on the event to promote the country’s culture and growing soft power. In a statement Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung said the BTS performance would provide “a special moment that people around the world will remember for long.”
“While one pillar of the album is defined by BTS’ identity, the other is shaped by the emotions they feel in the present, specifically universal sentiments such as joy, pleasure, and profound love,” HYBE said in response to questions from The Associated Press.
The 14-track record, with lead single “SWIM,” was recorded in Los Angeles as the group reconvened after years apart.
The group's comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.
Despite their yearslong break, experts say BTS’s outlook remains strong, backed by its massive fandom and the continuous global rise of K-pop. South Korea’s SK Securities said Wednesday the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour is likely to become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats.
“They had a fairly long hiatus but still have a historically powerful fandom. As they come back, they’ll likely immediately enjoy a warm welcome and intense fever around the world,” said Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic. “I think they’ll likely have a second heyday.”
__ AP video journalists Yong Jun Chang and Yong-ho Kim contributed.
Drones light up the night sky during a drone light show to celebrate the comeback of the K-pop band BTS at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A stage for a comeback concert of K-pop band BTS is seen at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A fan of K-pop band BTS reads a newspaper reporting the comeback of BTS before a drone light show to celebrate, at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Walls are decorated by pictures of K-pop band BTS at Yoojung Sikdang, a restaurant in Seoul where BTS members frequently ate during their trainee days, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)
Letters, photographs, and trinkets from around the world, are displayed at Cafe HYUGA, a former trainee dormitory for K-pop band BTS, now converted into a cafe, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)
A logo of K-pop band BTS is displayed at Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026, ahead of their comeback concert. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - Korean group BTS appears at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Workers adjust a banner promoting a comeback concert of K-pop boy group BTS on the government complex building near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
