Markey Slams Trump Over $7B Solar Funding Cut

U.S. Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts said President Donald Trump is "stealing" $7 billion from the federal Solar for All program awarded to 60 states, tribes and nonprofits.

Markey, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the Trump Administration plans to "unlawfully terminate" the funding that was "set to enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from distributed solar energy."

Markey Condemns Solar Program Termination

In a statement posted to Markey's official U.S. Senate website, the Bay State Democrat stated, "Instead of Solar for All, Trump and [EPA Administrator Lee] Zeldin will cause energy costs to rise, keep Americans beholden to monopolistic electric utilities, and make our grid overburdened and less reliable."

Former President Joe Biden established the Solar for All program in April 2024 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Zeldin Defends Cut, Calls Program Wasteful

In announcing the defunding, Zeldin called the program "a boondoggle" on X, suggesting taxpayer funds were misspent. The solar program was terminated under the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which eliminated the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the source of the program's funding.

But Markey said Trump and Zeldin's action will mean energy bills are going to continue to spike nationwide.

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Impact on Massachusetts Funding

Sen. Markey hasn't paid a Massachusetts utility bill in many moons and is probably unaware that Governor Maura Healey has already taken care of shooting energy costs into the stratosphere.

Healey used to brag about how she stopped two pipelines from coming to Massachusetts when she was Attorney General. How did that turn out for you?

In a statement, Healey claimed the Trump Administration was "illegally" cancelling the Solar for All program. Massachusetts had been awarded $156 million.