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How the Biden EPA funneled billions to its allies—and how the Trump Administration is fighting to expose it.Washington is an empire of unaccountable money. The real power in this town isn’t in campaign speeches or election-night victories—it’s in the quiet flow of taxpayer dollars into the right hands, far from public view. And while Americans were struggling with inflation, border chaos, and a volatile global stage, the Biden administration quietly orchestrated one of the most audacious financial maneuvers in modern history: a $20 billion green-energy slush fund, funneled to handpicked left-wing nonprofits with no meaningful oversight.
As first uncovered by RealClearInvestigations, the Biden administration’s EPA delivered billions in taxpayer dollars to a select group of left-wing nonprofits, bypassing Congress, financial oversight, and public scrutiny. The RCI reporting helped trigger a wave of scrutiny, prompting the Trump administration to investigate how these funds were offloaded with virtually no accountability.
Officially, the money came from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund—but in practice, it was a political end-run around Congress. Billions in public money were placed in the hands of activists with deep ties to the Democrat power structure.
Now, the Trump administration is fighting to unwind it.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has launched an aggressive investigation into how these billions were distributed, why they were shielded from standard financial accountability, and whether federal laws were broken. But the resistance has commenced in earnest.
The Green Giveaway: Biden’s Parting Gift to the Left
The numbers are astonishing. The Biden EPA awarded $27 billion under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—but the real story is where the money landed.
A staggering $20 billion—nearly 75% of the total—was funneled to just eight nonprofit organizations, handpicked without competitive bids, outside congressional approval, and beyond meaningful oversight. These groups—some barely known outside Beltway activist circles, others deeply embedded in the Democrat-aligned policy network—have now been transformed into de facto financial arms of the climate-industrial complex, with no obligation to repay a single cent.
The Shell Game: How Citibank Became Biden’s Financial Middleman
No congressional hearings. No debate. No scrutiny. The Biden White House simply declared these groups the stewards of billions in public funds, and the checks started flowing.
But how did they move the money?
Through Citibank.
Rather than following standard federal disbursement protocols, the Biden EPA offloaded taxpayer funds into a publicly traded financial institution, exploiting a loophole to classify them as “non-exchange transactions.”
The result? An unaccountable green slush fund largely shielded from ongoing public scrutiny and congressional intervention.
According to RealClearInvestigations, the Biden EPA’s use of Citibank as a financial intermediary was an intentional maneuver that allowed the administration to classify the funds in a way that minimized government oversight while maximizing the ability to draw down the funds quickly.
Now, the Trump administration is shutting it down—or trying to.
The EPA has terminated these questionable grants, cutting off the pipeline and demanding accountability. But unwinding a $20 billion shadow bank for left-wing causes won’t happen without a fight.
The Trump administration is demanding answers.
Who Got the Money—And Why?
To understand the sheer audacity of this operation, you have to follow the money.
The Biden administration didn’t distribute this $20 billion to states, businesses, or proven energy innovators. Instead, it funneled these funds into the coffers of eight nonprofit organizations.
A sampling of the organizations includes:
- Climate United Fund
- Coalition for Green Capital
- Power Forward Communities
RealClearInvestigations reported that many of these organizations have deep political connections to the Democrat party. Some had little to no experience managing funds of this magnitude yet were entrusted with billions in taxpayer money.
Consider Power Forward Communities, a newly formed nonprofit that received a staggering $2 billion in taxpayer funding despite reporting just $100 in assets when it obtained tax-exempt status last March—weeks before the Biden EPA deemed it worthy of such monumental funding.
Power Forward Communities is more than politically connected—it is built on a foundation of progressive-aligned nonprofits and figures tied to the Democrat policy network. Stacey Abrams, the failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate, was lead counsel for Rewiring America, one of Power Forward Communities’ key components. The organization’s rapid rise—from receiving tax-exempt status to securing a $2 billion grant in scant weeks—raises significant questions about its selection—and whether political considerations made all the difference here.
When President Trump called out the grant in his recent congressional speech, liberal fact-checkers rushed to spin the story, claiming Abrams herself didn’t receive the full $2 billion. But even Abrams acknowledged her involvement with Rewiring America and its role in the operation, saying the group was using funds to buy energy-efficient appliances for Georgia residents.
The Biden administration didn’t just hand out money; it ensured it went to the right people.
The Political Payoff: Biden’s Lasting Influence
By placing $20 billion in the hands of ideological allies, Biden not only funded climate programs—he built a financial fortress to sustain progressive activism well beyond his presidency.
This ensures:
- A permanent revenue stream for left-wing policy goals—laundered through environmental nonprofits under the banner of “climate action.”
- A financial backstop for Democrat operatives—groups flush with taxpayer money that will fund political advocacy, staff progressive think tanks, and bankroll legal battles against Republican policy efforts.
- A structure designed to outlast electoral cycles—allowing Biden’s political network to retain economic power even as Trump works to dismantle his predecessor’s political legacy.
Let’s see this for what it truly is—an attempt to implant Democrat priorities deep within the federal government’s financial arteries.
House Republicans are already investigating the scheme, but Democrats are scrambling to protect it, dismissing GOP efforts as partisanship.
Will This Be Stopped?
With billions distributed and legal teams working to block oversight, Biden’s EPA handouts could become one of the most challenging corruption scandals to unwind.
A federal judge has issued a restraining order against the administration and demanded evidence from the EPA to justify canceling these grants. Meanwhile, Trump’s DOJ is exploring ways to claw back the money.
This is no ordinary government waste scandal. It involves an outgoing administration channeling taxpayer dollars into the hands of allies and a political machine—and daring anyone to stop it.
One thing is sure: if this scheme isn’t dismantled now, it will become the mechanism for future progressive administrations looking to bankroll their allies under the guise of “climate action” or other policy goals. The stakes here are staggering.
With challenges mounting and RealClearInvestigations uncovering more details about how this scheme was designed to entrench progressive influence far beyond Biden’s presidency, the only question left is whether Washington will dismantle it—or whether Biden’s political machine has already rigged the system beyond repair.
Charlton Allen is an attorney, former chief executive officer, and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast. X: @CharltonAllenNC
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