Comer probes NGOs that received $20B in Biden EPA grants despite almost no revenue: 'Shady deal'
FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Chairman James Comer is expanding his probe into former President Joe Biden's EPA, accusing the agency of awarding $20 billion in grants to political allies.
Comer, R-Ky., called on eight nongovernmental organizations who received the grants to offer the committee all information related to the grants and their staff and salaries.
The $20 billion came out of two initiatives launched under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that aimed to offer grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects focusing on disadvantaged communities. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin moved to terminate the programs earlier this month, but that decision is now held up in court.
"The Biden EPA tried to dodge any oversight by striking a shady deal with a financial institution to cover up its corrupt self-dealing that rewarded political cronies pushing a far-left environmental agenda," Comer said in a statement. "The radical environmental groups profiting from Biden's Green New Deal must be held accountable for their misuse of taxpayer-funded grants and provide information for our investigation."
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Republicans claim the $20 billion was "parked at an outside financial institution" to avoid oversight. As part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) program, eight groups were awarded funds from the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund and the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator.
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Eight letters went out to: Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv, Justice Climate Fund, Appalachian Community Capital and Native CDFI Network.
Climate United told Fox News Digital: "We have always been committed to transparency in our work and will comply with this request to provide information that is readily available to the EPA. Climate United looks forward to helping Congress and Americans better understand how our work reduces energy costs, creates jobs, and boosts demand for U.S. manufacturing."
Fox News Digital has not yet received a reply for comment on Comer's letters from the other seven companies.
Included in the funds was a $2 billion grant to Power Forward Communities, a group linked to former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams that aims to "reduce our impact on the climate" by funding the replacement of household appliances in lower-income communities with green alternatives.
Zeldin told Fox News that in 2023, Power Forward Communities reported just $100 in revenue, but was later granted $2 billion by the Biden-era EPA in 2024.
"On page one of the grant agreement, it tells them that they have 21 days to distribute all $2 billion. On page seven of the grant agreement, it gives them 90 days to complete a training called 'How to Develop a Budget.' I would say that any entity that needs training on how to develop a budget shouldn't be actually distributing money before they take that training, and they certainly shouldn't be receiving $2 billion to be distributed that rapidly," he continued.
Zeldin also noted the EPA found a potential "conflict of interest" payment of $5 billion to the former director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund under Biden.
"All this money was put up front," Zeldin said. "It was 'here is $20 billion.' And it was going to their friends on the left."
The acting inspector general of the EPA is now investigating the GGRF for financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest and oversight failures.
The Oversight Committee launched its probe in February and requested a briefing from Zeldin on the matter earlier this month. The FBI is also investigating possible criminal violations.
Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report. Original article source: Comer probes NGOs that received $20B in Biden EPA grants despite almost no revenue: 'Shady deal'
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