A group linked to former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams received a $2 billion grant from the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the $20 billion "gold bar scheme" alleged by the Department of Government Efficiency.
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."
The group said it would spend the grant to provide "needed capital to transform the marketplace for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, solar panels, home battery systems, EV chargers, and wiring and weatherization upgrades."
Power Forward Communities was founded as a coalition of groups, led by Rewiring America, at which Abrams serves as senior counsel.
EPA LOOKS TO CLAW BACK $20B IN ‘GOLD BARS’ GIVEN TO CLIMATE GROUPS
"Thrilled to be part of @rewiringamerica and the Power Forward Communities coalition. This is how we expand access to clean energy — by prioritizing housing, equity and resilience. We are building a future where everyone, regardless of income or place, can thrive," Abrams said in a post in October 2023, celebrating the creation of Power Forward Communities.
Abrams was a key supporter of then-candidate Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris in their respective presidential runs in 2020 and 2024 in Georgia. She campaigned for both in the Peach State in their bids for the White House.
