Eight Democratic members of the U.S. House from Texas, including two from Houston, are calling on the Trump administration to restore a nearly $250 million solar energy grant for Texas that’s being slashed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In a letter to Lee Zeldin, head of the EPA, and Russell Vought, director of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the House members urged the two officials to reinstate the nearly $250 million grant, which was awarded to Texas under the $7 billion Biden-era Solar for All program. The Texas grant was designed to assist 28,000 low-income households in installing solar panels, aiming to reduce their energy bills.
“This administration has improperly withheld billions in congressionally appropriated funding that was intended to benefit everyday Americans,” the letter stated.
The letter claimed that numerous court rulings have determined the EPA cannot repeal already allocated funding.
“Congress made a commitment to families, small businesses, and communities across this country to lower their utility bills and reduce harmful pollution through investments in clean energy. The Solar for All program was part of that commitment, and the EPA’s actions to rescind this funding effectively undermine that congressional intent,” the House members wrote.
The six House members who signed the letter are:
- U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Houston
- U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston
- U.S. Rep. Greg Casar of Austin
- U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas
- U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin
- U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson of Dallas
- U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth
The nearly $250 million grant was awarded last year to the Harris County-led Texas Solar for All Coalition.
In a post on the X social media platform, Zeldin said the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” killed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which would have financed the $7 billion Solar for All program.
“The bottom line is this: EPA no longer has the statutory authority to administer the program or the appropriated funds to keep this boondoggle alive,” Zeldin said.
