{"id":383760,"date":"2025-06-19T17:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T15:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=383760"},"modified":"2025-06-19T17:42:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T15:42:14","slug":"bidens-gold-bars-went-to-politically-connected-orgs-over-internal-red-flags-watchdog-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=383760","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s \u2018Gold Bars\u2019 Went To Politically-Connected Orgs Over Internal Red Flags, Watchdog Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"383765\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=383765\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=723%2C723&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=723%2C723&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-383765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=450%2C450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?resize=550%2C550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2025\/06\/18\/bidens-gold-bars-went-to-politically-connected-orgs-over-internal-red-flags-watchdog-finds\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/06\/17\/biden-billions-gold-bars-epa-connected-nonprofits-internal-red-flags-watchdog\/\">THE DAILY CALLER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wattsupwiththat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-205.png?resize=528%2C50&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Daily Caller News Foundation\" class=\"wp-image-10239521\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Audrey Streb<br><\/strong>DCNF Energy Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal reviewers internally raised red flags about a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that awarded billions with minimal oversight to politically-connected green groups, according to a Tuesday report published by Protect the Public\u2019s Trust (PPT), a watchdog organization.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reviewers scrutinized several of the grant applications for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), the EPA program that awarded $20 billion to green groups&nbsp;connected&nbsp;to Democrat&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/02\/26\/biden-epa-cgc-top-execs-personal-donations-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donors<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/04\/04\/biden-epa-billions-grants-green-groups-democrat-ties\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insiders<\/a>, identifying concerns such as \u201cexcessive\u201d executive pay, curious financial statements and limited oversight, according to documents first obtained by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/exclusive-internal-documents-reveal\">The Free Press<\/a>&nbsp;and additional findings uncovered and compiled in PPT\u2019s new report.&nbsp;The GGRF budget far exceeded any budget in all of EPA\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/planandbudget\/budget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">history<\/a>, and the PPT report argues that the program was not administered with appropriate levels of oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor a program that was given more money to hand out than the EPA has ever had in its entire budget, it would be reasonable for the American public to expect that it would have been operated without the slightest hint of conflict or questions about the recipients,\u201d Michael Chamberlain, director of PPT, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cKnowing what EPA leadership did following receipt of these critical assessments, one is left to wonder whether they decided wasteful spending while lacking the resources and any genuine plans to prevent abuse and fraud was merely the cost of doing business to avoid leaving it to a potential Trump administration.\u201d&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/03\/10\/watchdog-ex-biden-official-complaint-epa-gold-bars-david-hayes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog Slaps Ex-Biden Official With Complaint Over EPA \u2018Gold Bars\u2019 Scandal)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-scribd wp-block-embed-scribd wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Shocking Weakness of EPA\u2019s GGRF Award Process.\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/875612764\/content\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7735849056603774\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"875612764\" width=\"723\" height=\"1000\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">          (function() { var scribd = document.createElement(\"script\"); scribd.type = \"text\/javascript\"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = \"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/javascripts\/embed_code\/inject.js\"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })()        <\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/875612764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">View this document on Scribd<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/875612764\/The-Shocking-Weakness-of-EPA-s-GGRF-Award-Process#from_embed\">The Shocking Weakness of EPA\u2019s GGRF Award Process.&nbsp;<\/a>by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/857740963\/audreystreb#from_embed\">audreystreb<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2018Gold Bars\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GGRF is being investigated by the EPA\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/epaigrequest030225.pdf\">inspector general<\/a>, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/02\/28\/fbi-reportedly-probing-biden-20-billion-green-fund-potential-fraud\/\">FBI<\/a>&nbsp;for potential fraud and abuse of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/05\/13\/gop-lawmakers-epa-greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund-awardees-democratic-insiders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taxpayer dollars<\/a>, and EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/04\/21\/lee-zeldin-dresses-down-corporate-media-biden-golden-bars\/\">pointed<\/a>&nbsp;to the program as an example of waste on the Biden administration\u2019s watch on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/epaleezeldin\/status\/1892620331421925487\">numerous<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-formally-refers-financial-mismanagement-20b-gold-bars-inspector-general\">occasions<\/a>. Zeldin has often referenced a video covertly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CblV6EwzKxg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recorded<\/a>&nbsp;by conservative activist group Project Veritas, in which a Biden EPA official likened the agency\u2019s rush to get program funding out the door before the arrival of a new administration to tossing \u201cgold bars off the Titanic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe owe it to the American people to be good stewards of taxpayer money and they deserve better than the reckless spending of our predecessors,\u201d Zeldin said in a statement to the DCNF. \u201cThe latest batch of internal EPA documents directly reflects the infamous words of the Biden EPA, this money was tossed \u2018off the Titanic.\u2019 In addition to the obvious self-dealing and conflicts of interest, reviewers outlined concerns about unqualified recipients and reduced oversight. \u2026 Rest assured, the Trump EPA is working to ensure these tax dollars are properly accounted for. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPA&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/epa-green-bank-recipients-lose-access-to-citibank-accounts\/\">froze<\/a>&nbsp;the 129 Citibank accounts where the funds are being held, and in response, several organizations<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/third-climate-nonprofit-takes-citibank-to-court\/\">&nbsp;filed<\/a>&nbsp;lawsuits against the EPA and Citibank, claiming there is no legal justification for withholding the funds and that the EPA acted appropriately in distributing them. An appeals court&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/851013697\/circuit-court-stay\">intervened<\/a>&nbsp;to stay a previous court ruling that would have forced the EPA to unfreeze the funds.&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/02\/26\/biden-epa-cgc-top-execs-personal-donations-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(RELATED: Turns Out Top Execs Of Org Picked For Billions By Biden EPA Are Big Time Democrat Donors)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8FOIA\u2019d docs expose, as we\u2019ve been saying, the Biden EPA \u201cgold bars\u201d scheme was riddled with self-dealing and conflicts\u00a0of interest, unqualified recipients, and reduced oversight.<br><br>An honest person might even call this sourced documentation\u00a0\u201cevidence\u201d. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/H2kufgYg38\">https:\/\/t.co\/H2kufgYg38<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/epaleezeldin\/status\/1921726467534131221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Power Forward Communities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Power Forward Communities (PFC),&nbsp;a nonprofit coalition&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/10\/17\/biden-harris-billions-coalition-partnering-dem-voter-mobilization-efforts\/\">linked<\/a>&nbsp;to Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams,&nbsp;was specifically formed to secure taxpayer funding from the GGRF, from which it was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/biden-harris-administration-announces-20-billion-grants-mobilize-private-capital-and\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded<\/a>&nbsp;$2 billion, the PPT report notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Democrats linked to the nonprofit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/seTFV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coalition<\/a>&nbsp;include Phyllis Caldwell, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/TGAvp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vice chair<\/a>&nbsp;of Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), an arm of the PFC,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>as well as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/Bvx10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">founder and co-chair<\/a>&nbsp;of PFC Ari Matusiak, both of whom&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/4r2ZE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/4pz8Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in<\/a>&nbsp;the Obama administration, the PPT report notes. Shaun Donovan,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/bniiL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CEO and president<\/a>&nbsp;of ECP, also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/DgCnI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">served<\/a>&nbsp;in the Obama administration as the director of the Office of Management and Budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A review panel examining the application of PFC graded it just above 80% and raised concerns about proposed salaries for executives and incomplete financial statements, according to the PPT report. Candidates were evaluated \u201con a steep curve,\u201d and winning applicants achieved no higher than an A-minus score, the PPT report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe salary structure for top officers seems high for a nonprofit \u2013 or rather high enough that it merits some explanation,\u201d one reviewer wrote. \u201c[I\u2019m] wondering if this could be a problem with public perception. \u2026 Many of the costs are just presented, but [with] little or no explanation as to why they are reasonable,\u201d they continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another reviewer wrote that \u201cexecutive salaries appear excessive,\u201d adding that the amount did \u201cnot seem appropriate for federal funds.\u201d&nbsp;Another added that \u201csenior management salaries are seemingly high without justification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reviewers repeatedly listed PFC\u2019s partnership with United Way and Habitat For Humanity as a strength of its application, though both of the organizations later pulled out of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/3hiUO\">coalition<\/a>, as the report notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the PFC&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/gold-bars-and-an-fbi-probe-inside-trumps-effort-to-pry-back-20b-from-bidens-climate-spending\/\">notified<\/a>&nbsp;the courts that it was struggling to pay employees or cover operating expenses, United Way withdrew from the coalition, a spokesperson for the organization confirmed to the DCNF. Habitat For Humanity also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/03\/23\/trump-court-loss-could-still-gut-biden-green-agenda-00242974\">jumped ship<\/a>, citing the need to preserve its financial resources due to a potentially prolonged legal battle with the EPA, according to Politico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe applicant\u2019s historical financial statements are not available since Power Forward Communities, Inc. has been recently established as a nonprofit corporation,\u201d one reviewer wrote. \u201cThis risk is mitigated by the track record and strength of its coalition partners, including United Way and Habitat for Humanity,\u201d they continued.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PFC, ECP, Abram\u2019s office, Habitat for Humanity, Caldwell, Donovan and Matusiak did not respond to the DCNF\u2019s requests for comment.&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/10\/17\/biden-harris-billions-coalition-partnering-dem-voter-mobilization-efforts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(RELATED: Biden-Harris Admin Handed Billions To Coalition Partnering With Stacey Abrams\u2019 Org Dedicated To Turning Out Voters)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Climate United Fund<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Climate United Fund (CUF) was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund\/national-clean-investment-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded<\/a>&nbsp;$6.97 billion and received the highest rating of the mentioned nonprofits at 90.1%, yet reviewers noted that the nonprofit had seemingly unjustified high employee compensation and vague plan descriptions, the PPT report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two separate reviewers also noted that \u201cexec comp seems high,\u201d and that the large budget could \u201cadd risk to a federal award.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other aspects of the grant application confused reviewers, as the nonprofit dedicated 2.2% of its budget to \u201cmarket predevelopment,\u201d which an employee needed \u201cadditional clarity.\u201d When it came to CUF\u2019s plan to decarbonize homes, one federal employee wrote that \u201cthese numbers don\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CUF says the application process was robust, and that reviewers flagging concerns is a natural part of evaluations like the one the group underwent for the GGRF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe went through a robust, 9-month application and review process with nearly 50 federal employee reviewers who evaluated and scored numerous applications. As with any review process, there were many viewpoints taken into account and reviewers were required to note strengths and weaknesses with each score,\u201d a spokesperson for CUF said in a statement to the DCNF. \u201cWe received a high score and ultimately an award based on our decades of experience investing in communities across the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time of approval for GGRF funding, the nonprofit\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/9CxEs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">board<\/a>&nbsp;boasted multiple Democratic figures, including Phil Angelides,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/n65tD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">former<\/a>&nbsp;California State Treasurer and Harold Pettigrew, who was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/Jx0m7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appointed<\/a>&nbsp;to the Treasury Department\u2019s community development advisory board by Biden, the PPT report notes. Additionally,&nbsp;Anthony Foxx,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/fx1ba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">head<\/a>&nbsp;of the Department of Transportation under Obama, held a seat during the GGRF application process but has since left the CU board, according to the PPT report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nonprofit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/03\/13\/dem-linked-nonprofit-admits-its-going-bust-unless-it-can-access-biden-bucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a>&nbsp;in March that it may not be able to cover operating expenses if it cannot access the Biden-era grant funding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;Angelides,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Pettigrew and Foxxdid not respond to the DCNF\u2019s requests for comment.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/04\/04\/biden-epa-billions-grants-green-groups-democrat-ties\/\"><strong>(RELATED: \u2018The Swamp Is Getting Deeper\u2019: EPA Awards Billions From Biden\u2019s Landmark Climate Bill To Orgs Loaded With Dem Insiders)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Coalition For Green Capital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coalition For Green Capital (CGC) had the strongest financial statements of the grantees, though reviewers flagged that its \u201cFY2022 and 2021 financials show a net loss with declining fees for service income,\u201d according to the PPT report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nonprofit received&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/0MvKJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$5 billion<\/a>&nbsp;in taxpayer funds through the GGRF, and \u2014 like its fellow GGRF grantees \u2014 the organization has considerable connections to the Democratic Party, according to the PPT report. Notable&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/walAx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">board members<\/a>&nbsp;include former&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/01\/07\/cecilia-martinez-white-house-climate-environmental-justice-joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Biden official<\/a>&nbsp;Cecilia Martinez&nbsp;and David Hayes, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/I90fq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">former<\/a>&nbsp;White House special assistant for climate policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hayes was a member of CGC\u2019s board during the first Trump administration before departing to join the Biden White House, then later rejoined the CGC\u2019s board soon after leaving government, according to the PPT report. Hayes and CGC referred the DCNF to the nonprofit\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Declaration-of-Eli-Hopson.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a>, which states that Hayes did not work on the GGRF provisions later included in the IRA and that his work in the administration presented \u201cno conflict of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rated at an 88.9% score, reviewers flagged the nonprofit\u2019s high employee salaries, questionable financial modeling and oversight concerns regarding the deployment of billions in taxpayer dollars in a limited timeframe, according to the PPT report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reviewer noted that employee salaries would be exorbitant, the PPT report states. \u201cOf the 71 expected hires, more than 20% would be making salaries more than ~$450,000\u201d the reviewer wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other reviewers expressed oversight concerns regarding the rapid distribution of billions in taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CGC\u2019s \u201cassumption of deploying $10B in the first fiscal year of performance seems unattainable,\u201d another federal employee noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAmbitious assumptions around deployment call into question the risks being modeled by the lead applicant. It stands to reason that the accelerated deployment of capital well beyond what has been seen historically would result in losses well beyond what has been recorded historically,\u201d the reviewer continued, noting that CGC did not address this issue in its application materials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Martinez did not respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal reviewers internally raised red flags about a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that awarded billions with minimal oversight to politically-connected green groups, according to a Tuesday report published by Protect the Public\u2019s Trust (PPT), a watchdog organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":383765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818336,691835921,691835920,691821464,691833091,691833692,691831504],"class_list":{"0":"post-383760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-biden-administration","9":"tag-climate-united-fund-cuf","10":"tag-coalition-for-green-capital-cgc","11":"tag-environmental-protection-agency-epa","12":"tag-epa-administrator-lee-zeldin","13":"tag-greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund-ggrf","14":"tag-trump-administration","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1BPG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":390086,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=390086","url_meta":{"origin":383760,"position":0},"title":"How 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agenda\"","block_context":{"text":"climate agenda","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-agenda"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/OIP-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":385947,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=385947","url_meta":{"origin":383760,"position":2},"title":"Top EPA Official Breaks Down Why Agency Needs To Get Back To Basics After Biden Years","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/30\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said his agency needs to return to its original mission to power the \u201cGreat American Comeback\u201d in a first sit-down interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/00Screenshot-2025-06-30-133536.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/00Screenshot-2025-06-30-133536.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, 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Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQN6D-9fMJBJdhAXTKCJGLqNAEfmfXCtWGnpFRwLn9Q1_OcDGgZpdeFUbva_plDAqWOnj1L8G7omlz5Y4Ss8-zyhkdu7YHhvO7UdXm5tEskk5zeBzGsU8Bi9HcM33AAlQt69z0p8RhllRitu-pa5HBbcL0P2ig.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQN6D-9fMJBJdhAXTKCJGLqNAEfmfXCtWGnpFRwLn9Q1_OcDGgZpdeFUbva_plDAqWOnj1L8G7omlz5Y4Ss8-zyhkdu7YHhvO7UdXm5tEskk5zeBzGsU8Bi9HcM33AAlQt69z0p8RhllRitu-pa5HBbcL0P2ig.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AQN6D-9fMJBJdhAXTKCJGLqNAEfmfXCtWGnpFRwLn9Q1_OcDGgZpdeFUbva_plDAqWOnj1L8G7omlz5Y4Ss8-zyhkdu7YHhvO7UdXm5tEskk5zeBzGsU8Bi9HcM33AAlQt69z0p8RhllRitu-pa5HBbcL0P2ig.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/073534290-56a59ebe3df78cf772891911.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/073534290-56a59ebe3df78cf772891911.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/073534290-56a59ebe3df78cf772891911.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/073534290-56a59ebe3df78cf772891911.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, 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