ICYMI: Administrator Lee Zeldin Finds Gold Bars from EPA at Stacey Abrams’ Connected Group, Biden-Harris Ethical Red Flags
WASHINGTON – Less than a month in office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has made progress in uncovering waste and abuse at the agency. This week, he shined a light on $2 billion of the $20 billion gold bars parked by the Biden-Harris administration at an outside organization to reduce oversight set to be distributed to Stacey Abram’s Power Forward Communities. It was also revealed that major beneficiaries of the Democrats’ Green New Deal include former employers and major donors.
Administrator Zeldin told the Free Beacon:
“I made a commitment to members of Congress and to the American people to be a good steward of tax dollars and I’ve wasted no time in keeping my word. When we learned about the Biden Administration’s scheme to quickly park $20 billion outside the agency, we suspected that some organizations were created out of thin air just to take advantage of this.
“As we continue to learn more about where some of this money went, it is even more apparent how far-reaching and widely accepted this waste and abuse has been. It’s extremely concerning that an organization that reported just $100 in revenue in 2023, was chosen to receive $2 billion. That’s 20 million times the organization’s reported revenue.
“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to stop the fraud and abuse by leaders who irresponsibly shoveled boat loads of cash to far-left, activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity, instead of serving the American people. Those days are over.”
Here’s a breakdown of the coverage:
Free Beacon Breaking Report: DOGE Finds $2 Billion in Taxpayer Funds Earmarked for Stacey Abrams-Linked Group
“Power Forward Communities’ grant was one of just eight Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants that the EPA doled out in April 2024 and that, altogether, totaled $20 billion. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Feb. 13 that his staff and Department of Government Efficiency officials discovered that the Biden administration parked that same $20 billion at an outside financial institution before leaving office, limiting the federal government's oversight of the program.
“The revelation that Power Forward Communities is among the beneficiaries of the funds Zeldin’s team located raises ethics questions about how the Biden administration selected recipients of such massive grants and whether it played favorites when doling those grants out. Abrams was a vocal proponent of the Biden administration's green energy agenda and campaigned for former vice president Kamala Harris.
“It also appears to validate concerns expressed for years by Republicans that Biden administration allies would prop up organizations that were specifically designed to receive federal funding under programs like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created to operate as a ‘green bank’ by Democrats' behemoth Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”
Free Beacon Breaking Follow-up: 'Serious Conflicts of Interest': Biden EPA Official Oversaw $5B Grant to His Former Employer
“The senior Biden administration official tasked with directing former President Joe Biden's $27 billion climate grant program oversaw a $5 billion grant from the program to his former employer, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
“Jahi Wise joined the Environmental Protection Agency in December 2022 as the founding director of the newly created Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, or GGRF, according to his LinkedIn profile. In April 2024, while Wise served in that role, the EPA announced that it would award GGRF grants totaling $20 billion to just eight nonprofits, including the Coalition for Green Capital, a Washington, D.C.-based group that received $5 billion as part of the announcement and where Wise previously worked as the director of policy. There is no indication that Wise recused himself from that process.
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“‘The story of the Biden EPA’s gold bars never stops,’ EPA administrator Lee Zeldin told the Free Beacon. ‘The waste and abuse was so deeply interwoven in the last administration that not only did the leaders who oversaw this not bat an eye at billions of your taxpayer dollars going towards partisan pet projects, but serious conflicts of interest were ignored. That should have raised red flags.’”
Blaze Media: Biden admin gave $2 billion to Stacey Abrams-linked climate outfit as part of 'gold bar' scheme: Zeldin
“Zeldin has raised questions about one of the intended recipients of the funds — a new nonprofit linked to a staunch ally of the former president and vice president, failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams…
“The Abrams-linked nonprofit, Power Forward Communities, was founded in 2023 by several groups, including Rewiring America, a climate alarmist outfit focused on electrifying American homes and businesses. Abrams serves as senior counsel at Rewiring America, and she made clear online in October 2023 that she was an engaged player in Rewiring America and the PFC ‘coalition.’
“The Beacon indicated that PFC also counts among its partners at least two leftist nonprofits founded by Abrams, the Tides Center-sponsored Southern Advancement Project and Fair Count.”
Breitbart: 'Extremely Concerning': EPA Uncovers $2 Billion Set Aside for Climate Group Linked to Stacey Abrams
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has uncovered $2 billion set aside for a climate group linked to Democrat Stacey Abrams –Power Forward Communities — despite the fact the organization reported just $100 in total revenue, raising eyebrows…
“‘As we continue to learn more about where some of this money went, it is even more apparent how far-reaching and widely accepted this waste and abuse has been,’ Zeldin said, emphasizing how ‘extremely concerning’ it is that ‘an organization that reported just $100 in revenue in 2023 was chosen to receive $2 billion. That’s 20 million times the organization’s reported revenue.’
"The news comes on the heels of Zeldin announcing that they discovered the ‘gold bars off the Titanic’ that the Biden administration tried to waste before President Donald Trump assumed office. On February 12, he announced the EPA found the ‘gold bars.’”
Newsmax: Zeldin: EPA Paid Over $2B to NGOs Before Inauguration
“EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday said he's discovered that the agency made over $2 billion in payments that went to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump's inauguration last month.
"‘I haven't had a chance to talk about this one publicly because I just read this about an hour ago,’ Zeldin said in an interview with Andrew Wilkow… ‘I was reading through one of the grant agreements. On page one, it was telling this entity that they have 21 days to distribute $2.29 billion. But that's not the worst part. On page six, it gives the recipient 90 days to complete their 'How To Develop a Budget' training.’”
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"‘This is something that by design took great measure to reduce significantly oversight and accountability… Many of those sub-grantees are also pass-throughs,’ said Zeldin. ‘They were amending the account control agreements right up to the inauguration. I reviewed three amended account control agreements [dated] Jan. 13.’"
New York Post: Zeldin EPA discovers $2 billion Biden admin stashed away for Stacey Abrams-linked climate group
“‘It’s extremely concerning that an organization that reported just $100 in revenue in 2023 was chosen to receive $2 billion,’ EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told the outlet, referring to Power Forward Communities’ latest tax filings. ‘That’s 20 million times the organization’s reported revenue.’”
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“‘As we continue to learn more about where some of this money went, it is even more apparent how far-reaching and widely accepted this waste and abuse has been.’
“Abrams was a vocal advocate of the Biden administration’s green energy push, and last July, as calls grew for Biden to drop out of the presidential race, she penned an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution declaring that Democrats’ 'path to victory lies in standing by Biden.'”
“‘It’s time to stop the Joe Biden doom loop,’ she tweeted that same month. Power Forward Communities was awarded the grant the following month…”
RealClear Politics: EPA's Zeldin: We Have A Grant Where An NGO Had 21 Days To Distribute $2 Billion, But Was Given 3 Months To Develop A Budget | Video
The Daily Wire: Stacey Abrams-Linked Group Received $2B From Biden Admin Slush Fund, DOGE Finds
“Power Forward Communities (PFC), the nonprofit, was established in October 2023 and received the $2 billion grant in April 2024, just six months after it began operating, The Washington Free Beacon reported. During its first three months of operation, it reported just $100 in revenue, tax filings revealed.
“PFC had never managed any amount of money near $2 billion, yet it was one of eight organizations that received grants from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Those eight groups received $20 billion, which the Biden administration had stashed at an outside financial institution to ensure the government couldn’t oversee the funds’ allocation.
“The $20 billion slush fund was discovered by EPA administrator Lee Zeldin’s staff and DOGE earlier this month.
“‘Roughly twenty billion of your tax dollars were parked at an outside financial institution by the Biden EPA,’ Zeldin announced. ‘This scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history and it was purposefully designed to obligate all of the money in a rush job with reduced oversight.’”
Washington Examiner: $2 billion in ‘gold bars’ sent to Abrams-linked climate organization: Zeldin
“The $20 billion in grants doled out by the Biden administration with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act were found ‘parked’ in an outside financial institution in a bid to give the grant money out without oversight, according to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
“A report from the Washington Free Beacon found that $2 billion in grants were earmarked for Power Forward Communities, which has ties to Abrams, despite having only reported $100 in revenue during its first three months after its founding in late 2023. The grant was awarded in April 2024.
“‘I made a commitment to members of Congress and to the American people to be a good steward of tax dollars, and I’ve wasted no time in keeping my word,’ Zeldin said. ‘When we learned about the Biden administration’s scheme to quickly park $20 billion outside the agency, we suspected that some organizations were created out of thin air just to take advantage of this.’”