The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has canceled more than $2.7 billion in climate and environmental justice grants, derailing projects in flood-prone and pollution-burdened communities across the country.
Ames Alexander reports for Floodlight.
In short:
- The EPA canceled over 600 climate-related grants since Trump returned to office, including a $20 million erosion control project in the Alaskan village of Kipnuk and $500,000 for air quality monitoring in Texas.
- Environmental justice initiatives bore the brunt of the cuts, with over $2.4 billion slashed, disproportionately affecting low-income and Indigenous communities.
- A coalition of nonprofits and local governments has sued the EPA, alleging the cancellations were illegal and politically motivated.
Key quote:
“Canceling environmental justice programs is not cutting waste; it is failing to serve the American people.”
— declaration of dissent by more than 200 current and former EPA employees
Why this matters:
When the federal government cancels grants aimed at reducing pollution, shoring up infrastructure, or monitoring air quality, families in places like coastal Alaska and industrial Texas lose critical protection against rising seas, toxic emissions, and extreme weather. These cuts hit hardest where the need is greatest — among people with the fewest resources to prepare or recover.
Learn more: Trump’s cuts to climate research are derailing science and endangering long-term monitoring
