It’s an absolute disgrace: the Climate United Fund, a shady nonprofit slapped together in November 2022, somehow wangled a jaw-dropping $7 billion grant from the Biden administration’s climate slush fund in April 2024—the largest nonprofit grant in U.S. history. This money, ripped from taxpayers’ pockets, was supposed to fuel clean energy projects under the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) of the Inflation Reduction Act. Instead, it’s become a glaring symbol of political cronyism, grift, and utter mismanagement, leaving Americans furious and demanding answers.
This so-called “popup nonprofit shell” started with a paltry $547,000 in revenue in 2022. By 2023, it had burned through $451,000 in just two months, with a whopping $323,000 of that mysteriously unaccounted for in its tax returns. Where did it go? No one knows—because the fund’s filings are a black hole of transparency, offering no details on officer pay or project plans, which any legitimate nonprofit would be required to disclose. Yet, Kamala Harris and EPA Chief Michael Regan handed over $7 billion for vague solar projects in Idaho, Arkansas, and Oregon—totaling a measly $50 million, a drop in the bucket compared to the billions entrusted to them. It’s an insult to every taxpayer who’s been left in the dark about where their hard-earned money is disappearing to.
The fund’s ties to Democratic insiders make this scandal even more infuriating. Its CEO, Beth Bafford, is a former Obama aide and campaign operative, and its board includes heavyweights like California’s Democratic Party Chairman Phil Angelides, Obama’s Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, and Stacey Abrams, whose linked group, Power Forward Communities, quietly pocketed some of the cash. This isn’t climate action—it’s a taxpayer-funded piggy bank for political pals, a blatant case of favoritism that reeks of corruption.
And it doesn’t stop there. This outrage is just one piece of a broader fiasco with the GGRF, which rushed $20 billion to eight newly minted environmental nonprofits after Biden’s 2024 election loss but before Trump took office in January 2025. Reports from the New York Post and Project Veritas expose how Biden officials scrambled to dump the money, with an EPA insider caught on video calling it “throwing gold bars off the Titanic.” Now, Trump’s EPA head, Lee Zeldin, has rightly frozen access to that $20 billion held by Citibank, citing rampant fraud, waste, abuse, and conflicts of interest. The DOJ and FBI are digging in, but it’s maddening that no hard evidence of criminality has surfaced yet. It’s a betrayal of public trust and a slap in the face to every American worried about their tax dollars.
As investigations grind on and lawsuits pile up over the frozen funds, the Climate United Fund scandal screams for justice. Federal government spending needs ironclad transparency and accountability, not backroom deals for political cronies. This mess is an outrage that demands answers.
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It wouldn’t be surprising that the majority of the U.S. debt is the direct result of fraud and abuse.
Some quick numbers.
Since 2002, US spent $2.3 trillion on military ‘nation building’ in Afghanistan. Does NOT include veteran care. It also spent $148 billion on ‘rebuilding’ what we destroyed with the 2.3 trillion.
This year, almost $1 trillion will be spent just on the interest servicing the debt.
Musk says DOGE can recover $1 Trillion in waste annually today. Go back to 2002, add in Afghanistan, and it’s about $20 trillion. So yeah, about half.
Doge would say that . It lies every time they list the details. Even if they fired all federal employees they couldnt save $1 trill pa
You would say that, given that you are one of the grifters.
US debt grew massively during Trump’s first term, is that you are saying
TDS is a real disease, so help us find wasteful spending. Let’s start with money to house illegal aliens.
Yes, the corrupt handling of our tax dollars was in still happening during the first term because he did not know how to ferret it out. Times have changed, thank goodness.
He also had his hands full with all the political lawfare.
No. What I’m saying is that you are in on the corruption, that you took some of the dirty money stolen from the Treasury.
“It’s a betrayal of public trust and a slap in the face to every American worried about both the climate and their tax dollars.”
How about “It’s a betrayal of public trust and a slap in the face to every American” – period. I’m not worried about the climate at all.
What a coordinated scam this appears to be. RICO, anyone?
Yes, this looks like it is going to get ugly for the Democrats. All the recipients of this taxpayer money seem to be Elite Democrats.
And the investigations have just barely scratched the surface.
We’ll see how well Joe Biden and the Democrats hid their money transactions, or not. I think the team investigating is about the best we could hope for.
Corrupt Democrats are going to be exposed.
“And the investigations have just barely scratched the surface.”
Good point. As the President likes to say, “Let’s see what happens.”
Exposure is the first priority. Even if what is exposed cannot be realistically prosecuted as criminal, it serves to inform the voters.
We should be so lucky.
This is yet another reason that consumers/taxpayers are suspicious of any or all “climate action” initiatives. What’s the “action” supposed to accomplish in the first place. Reduced emissions? Lower energy prices? More reliable power sources? An end to violent storms? The reality is that the money thrown at these proposals has accomplished next to nothing as WUWT’s articles regularly point out. What they do achieve is to pick consumers’ pockets with higher taxes and prices plus green mandates that force people to buy overpriced products whose performance might be slightly more efficient but not enough to justify their higher sticker prices. Meanwhile the only ones to benefit are the ones who rake in the government subsidies for the supposed “action”.
Correction – they have accomplished WORSE THAN NOTHING.
A less reliable, more expensive electric grid, more expensive transport and heating fuels, and massive inflation are massive NEGATIVE results.
They have “accomplished” ONLY harm. There is absolutely no upside to their stupid ideas.
Burning car batteries.
Looks like Kash Patel and Pam Bondi will be very busy.
Plus Lee Zeldin is going after the $20 billion the EPA thru away in January 2025, including $8 billion to Stacy Abrams new ‘climate Justice’ fund NGO founded just three months before. They apparently got the $20 billion frozen at Citi before it could be dispersed.
Rud, can you please share your perspective on how long and complicated it would be/ will be/ and or is to file charges in such circumstances. What might the charges be?
I am keeping in mind that the folks investigating may be biased to stone wall, and what judge those charged may face, are factors to consider.
I have a feeling that the dumpsters around Washington and many NGO offices are rapidly filling up with shredded documents. Hopefully, Musk & Co. will be better at tracking down electronic records than the fraudsters are at deleting them. This would be a great time to be a forensic accountant.
There has been more activity in the DC area searching for “criminal lawyer”
All those receiving this money appear to be Elite/Swamp Democrats.
$ 7 billion to a basically a startup NGO with no distribution history. That seems pretty pricey. But only $20 per American. 1/4 of a gas tank. Probably a bargain. Peanuts. Not worth investigating. Move along.
/s
In which case, just dump $7 billion in my direction. Not worth investigating.
I am holding out my hand for my share.
Stacy Abrams is not someone I would think of when climate is mentioned. Democratic Party activist, sure. Repeated unsuccessful candidate, definitely. But climate change?
How do unsuccessful candidates become successful candidates?
Big money!
Stacy Abrams has certainly climbed Step #1.
Stacy gets all that money and she doesn’t even have to be elected to anything to get it. Just being a Democrat activist is enough.
Of course, now, Trump is throwing a monkey wrench into her plans. So good!
Very interesting article. Climate United Fund is, or was, intended to operate as a sort of environmental loan broker funding climate favored projects. For a start up lender there is a lot of red tape and licensing involved, so maybe that is why the Biden regime had to pump the cash out to an intermediary-Citi- until the Fund got its regulatory stuff together. I checked the Fund’s website to see what they had to say about the Doge findings and funding cut-off. ITS BEEN TWO WEEKS since the news broke so I was expecting a detailed response defending the Biden funding decision and attacking the DOGE process and its conclusions. Maybe I missed something, but in the News section of the website not a single word about any of this. Very strange from a PR standpoint-what must their “partners” and potential borrowers be thinking? Maybe the lawyers told them to put a sock in it or maybe everyone involved fled for the hills or maybe no one involved wants to get deeper in doo-doo by tying themselves further to this scam. Can’t wait for some investigative reporting on why the EPA chose this method of disbursing cash, or how it selected this oufit, or why it decided it needed a broker to fund its deals. There have to be some very scared people who want to talk, or maybe there already is a whistleblower who talked to Doge and expects to get a big chunk of that $20BB as a reward..hmmm…?
“There have to be some very scared people who want to talk,”
I think you are correct. 🙂
Elon Musk has gotten $38B from the government.
finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-sucked-38-billion-201416428.html
No you misquoted … Elon Musk companies.
>>>>>>>>
The majority of the $38 billion we know about went from NASA and the Defense Department to SpaceX. Tesla accounts for less than a third, and includes federal and state programs designed to boost EV adoption.
<<<<<<<
a) Those are big companies actually doing things on a contract basis
Now compare that to
b) $20 billion to eight newly minted environmental nonprofits
The first (a) provides a service that is needed on a commercial basis and (b) well that is just throwing money at something and we don’t even know what.
Don’t confuse him with facts, Leon.
Although I guess it won’t hurt to state them, not like he’ll pay any attention.
Idiot, you conflate honest business transactions with graft. Let me explain the difference, with Musk companies the tax payer gets back something of value. With so called climate action NGOs, you enrich the political connected and the tax pay gets the shaft.
There was also bid and proposal and contracting activities.
And it was not a single, wired transaction.
And it was disbursed in segments, not a whole ball of wax payment.
And it was compliant with FAR.
We agree, we should stop funding trans clinics in India.
“ it’s maddening that no hard evidence of criminality has surfaced yet“
Perhaps you expect faster actions than the systems allow. For example, four students were killed in Moscow, Idaho in November 2022. Trial is still 5 months off.
Or perhaps everything was done in a legal manner. Just because you don’t like a policy or funding decision does not mean it is illegal.
They have a problem, there are specific guidelines
https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/frequent-questions-about-fund
“No. EPA does not transfer the full funding amount into a bank account of the recipient’s choosing. There are strict guardrails on funding provided by EPA to each recipient, and each recipient will be required to expend funding in accordance with the specific terms and conditions of their award agreement.”
So if the EPA still had the money then the award winner had not yet met award conditions and so if the Biden administration transferred the funds you can guarantee there will be legal repercussions.
They have a problem, there are specific guidelines
https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/frequent-questions-about-fund
“No. EPA does not transfer the full funding amount into a bank account of the recipient’s choosing. There are strict guardrails on funding provided by EPA to each recipient, and each recipient will be required to expend funding in accordance with the specific terms and conditions of their award agreement.”
So if the EPA still had the money then the award winner had not yet met award conditions and so if the Biden administration transferred the funds you can guarantee there will be legal repercussions.
That is why the FBI is involved
https://trellis.net/article/citibank-and-epa-spar-over-frozen-greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/
I suspect the result will roll on who is citibank acting for the EPA or the Award winners. Telling in that if they are acting for the EPA they would just hand back the money it’s not there concern. The fact that isn’t happening seems to suggest citi is acting for the award winners and so they did what they said they wouldn’t do dump the money into the award winners account.
Assessing alternatives is a legitimate exercise.
That said: “Legal manner”
If legal, where are the contracts with coding tying the contracts to specific Congressional appropriations? Those should have been provided on day 1.
If legitimate, the funds for multiple NGOs would not be parked in a single account at a bank.
Where there’s smoke, there may not be a fire, but there is excessive heat as a minimum and immediate investigation is absolutely necessary to prevent the heat from become a destructive fire.
“Throwing gold bars off the Titanic” a quote caught on tape.
Wishful thinking, Zak. Maybe you won’t go to jail. Got a good lawyer yet?
There is no corruption like government corruption.
Democrats and corruption! Never.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin just announced that his team has discovered a staggering $20 BILLION that the Biden regime laundered to corrupt NGOs. Zeldin has referred the matter to the Inspector General & Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Shockingly, roughly 20 billion of your tax dollars were parked at an outside financial institution by the Biden EPA. This scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history and it was purposefully designed to obligate all of the money in a rushed job with reduced oversight. Even further. This pot of $20 billion was awarded to just eight entities that were then responsible for doling out your money to NGOs and others at their discretion, with far less transparency. Just under $7 billion was sent to one entity called the Climate United Fund.”
https://x.com/JunkScience/status/1897838477976187261
The EPA-Stacey Abrams grift revealed: @staceyabrams just told MSBNC’s @chrislhayes that the Biden EPA gave her $2 billion to buy people new home appliances to reduce electric bills. So Democrats upgraded vote buying from Obama phones to Biden refrigerators.