James OKeefe, an American conservative political activist and founder of Project Veritas.
Project Veritas released an undercover video this week showing Brent Efron, special advisor for implementation at the Environmental Protection Agency, discussing an effort at the agency to “get as much money out as fast as possible” before there’s a change in administration.
The video was captured surreptitiously by a Project Veritas investigative journalist at what appears to be a bar while Efron drank an orange cocktail. Efron told the journalist that billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act was going to “nonprofit institutions that are making it more financially feasible to build renewables and climate projects,” as well as states, tribes and cities. This rushed doling out of cash would continue until Jan. 20 when Trump is inaugurated, when Efron said the new administration could immediately halt the process.
The video appears to confirm suspicions that agencies are spending as much money as possible before President-elect Donald Trump could put the brakes on it.
“The fact that some obnoxious little child is drinking a fruity cocktail in the middle of winter and laughing at a bar about how he’s throwing out billions of dollars, it says a lot about how corrupt and woefully mismanaged our government is,” Daniel Turner, executive director of Power the Future, told Just the News.
The EPA didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Shovelfuls
Trump’s reelection, and the rightward shift voters took on Nov. 5, signaled a lack of support for the Biden-Harris administration’s policies. Since his win, Trump has nominated department heads in the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior and Department of Energy, each of whom show little alignment with the previous administration’s climate agenda. That’s on top of the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, (DOGE) tasked with cutting government waste.
Supporters of Biden’s climate agenda have been quite vocal about their plans to pursue their goals through whatever avenues remained open to them, despite the issue overwhelmingly being rejected by voters in the presidential election.
Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, which by some estimates will cost $2 trillion to $4 trillion by 2050 if it’s not repealed, earmarked buckets of taxpayer dollars to support green energy initiatives. While most of that money hasn’t been spent, federal agencies appear to be trying to shove as much cash out the door as they can before Trump can clamp down on the river of subsidies.
Power the Future, an energy advocacy nonprofit, began tracking some of this effort. The initiative, called Lame Duck Watch, catalogues several articles detailing a race to shell out taxpayer dollars before Trump takes over. Some of this effort started even before Trump won the election.
“The Biden administration is shelling out billions of dollars for clean energy and approving major offshore wind projects as officials race to secure major climate initiatives before President Joe Biden’s term comes to an end,” the Associated Press reported in October.
A week after the election, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the Department of Energy quadrupled its lending budget to over $240 billion so that the agency could approve as many “green energy” loans as possible before Trump takes office. Troubled electric car manufacturer Rivian got a $6.6 billion conditional loan just after Thanksgiving in support of a production facility in Georgia, according to Reuters.
The anti-fossil fuel activist publication Canary Media reported Thursday that the DOE approved a $303.5 million loan guarantee to help an energy storage company scale up its production, a planned $7.5 billion loan to finance two electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants in Indiana, and a $5 billion conditional loan guarantee for a transmission line.
“With Inauguration Day looming, the office has increased its activity in recent weeks,” Canary Media reported.
The DOE’s Loans Program Office, according to Canary, has sent out $55 billion funding for battery and EV manufacturing, nuclear programs, hydrogen facilities, critical minerals projects, and other green energy projects.
The Institute For Energy Research (IER) also collected a number of these stories in a recent report, including a $290 million conditional loan guarantee to deploy up to 1,000 solar and battery facilities in a virtual power plant across up to 27 states. A virtual power plant, IER explains, are networks of small-scale, distributed energy resources, such as solar panels, battery facilities, and EV batteries set up to feed into the grid when needed.
“The Biden-Harris administration is doing all it can to make things more difficult for the incoming Trump administration by shelling out money to pet projects when it is clear that the Trump administration will change direction on these projects,” the IER reported.
Bought and Paid
Turner, with Power the Future, said it’s likely to get worse before the Trump administration can do anything about it.
“I think we’re just starting to see the very beginning of how much waste there is, how much bought and paid corruption there is, and how much damage the Inflation Reduction Act will do,” Turner said.
The Lame Duck Watch initiative includes dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests on Biden Administration appointees to shed light on any acts of corruption, which Power the Future said in an announcement on the initiative that it would post publicly or turn over to Congressional investigative committees.
They’ll also be looking for “revolving door” activities in which Biden officials find positions at environmental groups that the agencies they’ve worked at have been funding.
Efron, the EPA employee featured in the Project Veritas video, appeared to suggest that he might find himself working for one of the places that have received some of the funds being rushed out the door.
“To go to work for one of these places I think would be really cool,” Efron told the Project Veritas reporter.
Power the Future’s Turner said that the whole effort is a huge waste of taxpayer money that will produce nothing of value to justify the spending. He said the philosophy that spending tax dollars will somehow automatically translate into positive outcomes is a big reason why Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election.
“What are we trying to solve here by writing $50 billion checks? What? How are we making the environment better? Or, how are we fixing the climate? It’s just a complete disconnect with reality,” Turner said. Turner added that besides the wasteful spending, the headlong rush to dole out tax dollars will lead to lax oversight and likely result in fraud and abuse, as happened with the rapidly deployed pandemic-response funding. “That money has already been spent. It’s not getting recovered. And that’s what they’re trying to do with this green money,” Turner said.
There is one possible reprieve for tix. The Department of Government Efficiency is talking about clawing back the loan to Rivian. It’s possible that, if that loan is revoked, other monies rushed out the door can be reclaimed, too.
Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just The News.
Reprinted with Permission from Just The News – By Kevin Killough
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
They need to expose all the corrupt people who benefited in this projects, These is not only fraudulent dole outs of tax payer’s money, but also a malicious intent to BANKRUPT our country, cause rapid inflation, huge Government debt that devalues the dollar’s buying power. This is TREASON.
All the “nonprofits” should be left to fend for themselves.
Question is how much in kick back returns to the Biden crime family?
Its the old “spend it before you lose it” philosophy: government agencies believe if they come under budget, they’ll lose future funding based on the difference so they spend ut all, needed or not.
The Biden Harris regime was a throw money at the problem and see what happens. They spend money without requiring accountability. Millions and billions went to Ukraine. No accountability was required. Zelensky acquired 3 large estates outside the Ukraine. In case he would have to flee. Assad had to flee only he had no estates to flee to. All this money spending is to enrich the rich. We, the people have the privilege to pay for it. My hope is that Trump finds a way that these climate change companies who received all this money have to pay it back with interest. The lying stealing powers we had the last 4 years have to account for their behavior. Either by being arrested, impeached or fined to pay the money back they stole.
Jan 20 can’t come fast enough!
The green agenda is nothing but a plot to funnel money to left wing extremist groups, and make a great deal of money for a select group of liberals. The climate change agenda is so deeply ingrained into this country it is a religion. Based on nothing, based on lies and obfuscation. Any attempt to shut the spigot off will be met by screams of your destroying the world. It’s like trying to deal with three year olds
There must be a way to prosecute these slithering slime balls and sentence them to something just short of the getting the ‘chair’ or public floggings at noon on the town square. They are void of all morals, have no conscience, and are well beyond corrupt. They MUST be held accountable with severe repercussions.
Send ideas to DOGE on X
I hope they audit the heck out of every “clean energy” money hole and expose them as the ineffectual boondoggles that they are. Mock them, defund them, make sure they never get funding again!
One of the best things Trump can do is expose the waste, fraud and abuse in our government for the people to plainly see.
what a bunch of A-HOLES.. I hope they answer to DOGE soon
And what do we expect from bureaucrats not ever held accountable.
The Biden Administration imprisoned many for their words and actions. Why can’t the Trump Administration imprison the people who waste our tax money on purpose?
Hopefully a good number of these undeserving “green energy” recipients will stall operations to be underwritten by the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act knowing they will need to foot the bill for whatever they’ve started once Trump revokes these illegal and endless Christmas abominations.
Democrat corruption is an enormous bottomless black hole.
DESPICABLE! and to think 71M-81M Americans think this is acceptable behavior.
Filthy bastards
Wanted to share this article on facebook and facebook will not allow it
Expenditures should be set up so that if an agency comes in UNDER BUDGET, the employees get a bonus. As it is now, if they don’t spend ALL of the money they don’t get an increase the next year. Also, as Rush Limbaugh used to point out, we need ZERO BASED budgeting. As it now stands if you froze an agency’s spending, it is called a DECREASE because it is assumed to go up every year. We cannot do that with our paychecks, can we?
I wish President Trump would stop telling the enemy his plans. If they didn’t know what he was going to do, they wouldn’t be able to work against it before he can do anything about their activities. In war, we don’t let the enemy know what our plans are when or where we plan to act. Trump needs to stay quiet until he is inaugurated.
I hope President Trump and his team close down these people that are a leach on taxpayer money and they know who they are we need better government and better agencies to use our money better not these fly by night people that want money and get it also to stop funding places overseas stop giving money to those that hate our country.
Thank goodness there is an effort being made to stop the waste.
There should be a LAW that prevents the Outgoing Administration from from Bankrupting the Economy before they leave Office. When the Administration changes all financial information should be frozen or go into limbo. That prevents the outgoing administration from robbing the American People if every penny they possibly can before they leave same goes for accepting profitable jobs with companies that profited from their vote! I know that a pipe dream because it’s exactly how our government seems to have been run for many generations! As a taxpayer & voter I am sick & tired of hearing about Billions of dollars sent to countries that stab us in the back every chance they get! This is probably too blunt & wont be printed, but I felt it needed to be said!
Another thing I heard today is that Schumer and the Senate want to put term limits on the Supreme Court. I’d go for it if they also put term limits on themselves! Particularly Schumer and dimocrats!
Such actions should automatically shut down & disband the EPA That department has done nothing but hassle farmers, waste money on solar farms that take large swaths of land to glean energy that winds up powering very small areas of users.
And what about China who is increasing emissions annually? No international organization (UN) is doing anything to force them to do the opposite. Why? Because they’re afraid of Xi, or any other dictatorship. A good reason for US to withdraw from UN and it’s sub-agencies WEF, WHO, etc.
Nick said “Any attempt to shut the spigot off will be met by screams of your destroying the world.” This is very true. When the communists start screaming you ask them ‘How?’ What specifically is going to happen that will destroy the word? It hasn’t happened yet, so where is your proof? When the demon-communist-cRATS don’t come up with a reasonable answer you then tell them to shut up, get the hell out of the way or they will be sent to hell.
Politicians have been scamming the public for decades. There are systems in place to reward politicians for wasting taxpayer money on special interest projects that the public don’t want. If the public wanted the projects then there would be no need for lobbyists and/or special interests.It is about time those who are stealing our money are put in jail – not just lose their jobs. Criminals in charge don’t hire good people to object to what is being done – they hire other criminals who participate in some way. Lock them up! Make them pay for their corrupt and immoral deeds.We will gladly pay for prison cells for all of them.
It is Resident and Vice-Resident Biden and Harris who are such nincompoops in the world today. They were NOT elected and they are useless morons.
One of the ways the Progressives were destroying our country was to take it down economically. They will keep shoving money out of DC until they no longer have a majority in both houses. That majority is very thin and we better hope that the picks Trump took from Congress are replaced by Republicans. It will still be a slim majority at best and I do not trust any of the Democrats to vote with Trumps’s agenda. They are going to try to stop him anyway they can and are lying in wait expecting to win again in 2028!
Sue Biden, and all who do this as the House sets the budget, not these asshats. It is law and so these dubs are in violation. Represent citizens and do your job and stop this!!
The House must stop this anti-American, sore loser, and idiocy front and cernter., NOW and with fault assigned. DO IT!
Action for Trump, after taking over, to the govt employees doling out money, “your fired”
Re Marie Saqueton:
Amen, sister. You are so, so right.
Trump administration please consider privatizing all government agencies that can be contracted out to private contractors.
Allow any laid-off employees to submit proposals that include a budget and operating costs, along with policies and procedures that will efficiently achieve goals and objectives.
Keep key personnel of all federal, state and local agencies that are being privatized.
They can inspect and audit the production and performance of any private
contractors.
While reading this article, a person just called me to try to get me to consent to “free solar panels”! I’m sure ANOTHER government rip-off! Told them I’m not interested & hung up!
And some people think we really don’t need to investigate the wasteful spending in this government. We need to stop electing people that only want to gain power and money for their own benefit. These slime balls need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. After all, they have stolen OUR money.
Revoke, revoke revoke! Please
Lock him up! Who does he think he is? That’s OUR money, NOT HIS!!
Where is congress on this? Don’t they approve the spending? I really don’t see anything changing with the same people making decisions
I really hope they can eventually lock those big spenders up for a long time, maybe even throw the keys away!
I believe the dept of energy and the dept of education, both born under the useless jimmy Carter, should be defined and disbanded immediately. I know there are enough Rino’s and Senate demons to keep it from happening, but talk about wasted money.
The dept of energy was created during the Arab oil embargo, allegedly to handle us energy and make things like that not happen. What a joke, they have never done anything od the sort. They moved nuclear research and weapons there to make it seem there was a reason it existed. It’s nothing but a paycheck and money laundering machine, period.
Damn! The Trump Administration can’t get here soon enough!!!!!!!!!!!