Trump official freezes the EV charging program that gave Tesla millions

The Ministry of Transport has suspended funding for the infrastructure program, which costs $ 5 billion, as Tesla received at least $ 31 million from. This step is widely seen to be illegal.

It is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to penetrate into renewable energy projects from the federal government throughout the country, and it is a clear priority for the president in the first few weeks in his position.

It is also more evidence that the policy of the CEO of Tesla ELON Musk is increasingly inconsistent with the goal of his car company, which is to enhance the transition to sustainable energy. By the middle of last year, Tesla won about 6 % of all awards from Infrastructure for national electric cars (NEVI) The relevant program, networking millions of dollars in this process.

One of the first executive orders that Trump in January was to impose fees on infrastructure programs, including NEVI.

Now, a letter It was sent on Thursday to the directors of the government offices of DOT, as saying “the new leadership of the Ministry of Transport” wants to review the policies behind the implementation of the NEVI program.

The Federal Roads Administration, the DOT agency, who wrote the letter, said that it will update NEVI guidelines and publish it for the public comment in “The Spring”. The DOT section says that no new financing can come out until this new directive is completed. Insideevs was The first to inform the message.

NEVI was part of the law of the two -party infrastructure signed in the law in 2021. Congress was allocated one billion dollars annually to the program from 2022 to 2026.

Beth Hamoun, a senior lawyer in the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement that the Trump administration “does not have the power to stop it.”

“Stopping financing in the middle of the road will lead to chaos and delay in the states throughout the country. She said that this will cast the state’s efforts in turmoil, and occupy chaos with companies that prove shipping devices and risk the functions of its workers.” “The only winner of this chaos is the oil industry.”

Sierra Clean Transport Club of all directors Catherine Garcia said that the procedure was illegal and was “an attack on the financing of the two parties, which was approved by Congress years ago.”

The Trump administration is trying to stop the flow of money allocated by Congress throughout the government – which Legal experts say it is a major violation of the constitutional system.

Administration and Budget Office announced Freezing spending at the government level It has already been met with a number of legal challenges. Then he canceled that memo, although it was reported Some payments continue. Meanwhile, Musk wanders around many government agencies with a team of engineers and executives of technology and struggles with the access of the computer to payment and other sensitive systems.