Latest news with #PowerForwardCommunities
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
The week in whoppers: McIver's ICE blame, Abrams' egotistical fantasy and more
Diary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions This assertion: 'ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.' — Rep. LaMonica McIver, Monday We say: BZZZZZ. Wrong: ICE agents did their jobs. Advertisement It was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. McIver who created 'an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation' when they tried to storm the Delaney Hall detention center with a horde of protesters, leaving federal law-enforcement officers with no choice but to detain them. And then McIver shoved and elbowed agents, which is why she's now facing felony charges for assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers. She has no one to blame but herself. This boast: Advertisement '[Republicans] are mad at me for proving that democracy can deliver.' — Stacey Abrams, Saturday We say: Deliver what, exactly? Abrams' pathetic political career has included two failed runs for Georgia's governorship and . . . not much else. She parlayed her baseless claims that the 2018 election was stolen from her into quasi-celeb status on the left; 'Star Trek: Discovery' eye-rollingly cast her as the far-future 'president of Earth.' Greenie nonprofit Power Forward Communities apparently used its ties to her to win a $2 billion grant from the Biden administration. Advertisement That Abrams has done zilch worth bragging about doesn't stop her from jumping in front of the camera to play up her empty record every chance she gets. This statement: 'Our city was attacked by the governor of Texas.' — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Friday We say: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott didn't force Chicago to become a sanctuary city. Advertisement That decision was made by Chi-town's Democratic leaders, who only started acknowledging the border crisis once it came to their own backyard. If anyone 'attacked' Mayor Johnson's city, it was President Biden, who allowed millions of illegal immigrants to overwhelm blue cities across the country, then ignored local pols' pleas for help. Border states were drowning long before Abbott started shipping migrants elsewhere. Johnson is just angry he had to experience some of the pain from his own party's toxic policies. This advertisement: 'If Donald Trump doesn't want Andrew Cuomo as mayor, you do.' — Andrew Cuomo campaign ad, Wednesday Advertisement We say: The spin of the century! The Justice Department launched an investigation into the former governor for allegedly lying to Congress about nursing-home deaths during COVID, and Cuo is trying to use it as campaign fodder. He might as well say: Yes, my decisions killed a few grandmas, but have you thought about the fact that Trump doesn't like me? It's beyond ghoulish. Cuomo's record — the toxic climate law, crime-exploding bail reform and horrific mismanagement of the pandemic — is so bad he's resorted to the most popular (and lazy) Democratic fallback: being the 'anti-Trump' candidate. — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
E&E News
08-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Greenhouse fund recipient announces layoffs
A housing electrification nonprofit laid off more than a quarter of its staff Thursday because EPA has barred it from accessing its climate law grant award for nearly three months. Rewiring America, one of three coalition members jointly awarded $2 billion last year under the embattled Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program, announced Thursday that it had notified 36 employees that their positions would be terminated. In a letter to employees, CEO Ari Matusiak blamed EPA for freezing Power Forward Communities' accounts at Citibank and forcing the coalition and other nonprofit awardees to go to court to try to regain access to their funds. Advertisement 'The volatility we face is not something we created: it is being directed at us,' he wrote.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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." Trump Epa Chief To 'Confront Crisis' Of Mexican Sewage Polluting San Diego Area Beaches 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. Read On The Fox News App 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'
Fox News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
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." 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. 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. 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 Digital has reached out to the eight companies for comment on Comer's letters but did not receive responses prior to publication.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EPA terminates Biden admin's green grants worth $20B, Zeldin says
The Environmental Protection Agency is terminating $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects, Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Tuesday. In a video posted to X, Zeldin said $20 billion in U.S. tax dollars were "parked at an outside financial institution in a deliberate effort to limit government oversight, doling out your money through just eight pass-through, politically connected, unqualified, and in some cases brand-new NGOs." The money has since been frozen, he said, noting that the Department of Justice and FBI are investigating. Stacey Abrams Slammed After Defending $2 Billion In Biden-era Epa Funds To Buy Green Energy Appliances The program, approved by Congress under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, was formerly known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund but is more commonly referred to as the green bank. Two initiatives, worth $14 billion and $6 billion, respectively, aimed to offer grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects focusing on disadvantaged communities. The eight nonprofits that were awarded the money included the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund. These organizations have partnered with various groups, including Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation. Read On The Fox News App The EPA "just notified 8 recipients of $20 BILLION in Biden EPA 'gold bars' that their grants have been TERMINATED!" Zeldin wrote on X. Lee Zeldin Likens Biden Energy 'Scheme' Connected To Stacey Abrams To 'Throwing Gold Bars Off The Titanic' In his video, Zeldin cited reports that Power Forward Communities, a group linked to Democrat Stacey Abrams, received $2 billion after reporting just $100 in total revenue the year before. He also said the founding director of the EPA's program allocated $5 billion to his former employer after working on the legislation that created the program from his role in the White House. "These two examples have only been the tip of the iceberg," Zeldin said. "I'm here to report back to the American people that, as of today, I have officially terminated these grant agreements entirely. Not only does the EPA have full authority to take this action, but frankly, we were left with no other option." Biden Sent $2 Billion To Stacey Abrams-linked Group In Green Energy 'Scheme,' Epa Says "This termination is based on substantial concerns regarding program integrity, objections to the award process, programmatic fraud, waste and abuse and misalignment with the agency's priorities, which collectively undermine the fundamental goals and statutory objectives of the awards," he continued. Zeldin said the "only way" to reduce waste, increase oversight and meet the intent of the law as it was written is by terminating the grants. He said it is his "unwavering commitment" to President Donald Trump, Congress and the American people. "The EPA will once again be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars. I will have it no other way," Zeldin article source: EPA terminates Biden admin's green grants worth $20B, Zeldin says
