This $1 Billion Payout Is a Scandal — Congress Must Act Immediately

I am writing to demand immediate action and accountability for what can only be described as a $1 billion taxpayer-funded scandal. The Trump administration has chosen to take nearly $1 billion of public money and hand it to a foreign energy corporation—not to build anything, not to create jobs, not to lower costs—but to cancel American energy production outright. This is not just wasteful. It is an abuse of power. At a moment when Americans are struggling with rising electricity bills and the country faces growing energy demand, the federal government has deliberately paid to eliminate more than 4 gigawatts of planned energy capacity. That decision alone is economically irrational. Paying to make the problem worse is indefensible. Let’s call this exactly what it is: The government is forcing taxpayers to bail out a corporation for walking away from its own investments, then rewarding it for redirecting that money into oil, gas, and export projects that do nothing for American consumers. This is a transfer of wealth—from the American public to corporate interests—for no public benefit. And it doesn’t stop at $1 billion. There are over $5 billion in similar leases held by other companies. Those companies are already signaling they expect the same treatment. Is this administration preparing to hand out billions more in taxpayer-funded payouts in exchange for canceled projects? How is this not a blank check for corporate reimbursement? Who approved this? What legal authority justifies it? Why is Congress allowing it to happen? Experts have made clear this decision will increase energy shortages and drive prices higher, meaning Americans will pay twice—first through their taxes, and again through higher utility bills. That is not policy failure. That is deliberate harm. If any administration can spend $1 billion to destroy infrastructure and face no consequences, then Congress has abandoned its most basic responsibility: safeguarding taxpayer money. This demands more than passive concern. It demands confrontation. I am calling on you to: • Open an immediate, full-scale investigation into this payout • Issue subpoenas and compel testimony under oath • Freeze any additional payments tied to canceled energy projects • Identify and hold accountable every official involved in authorizing this transfer of taxpayer funds • Publicly explain to your constituents whether you support or oppose this action Silence is not neutrality here—it is complicity. The American people are being forced to fund a policy that reduces energy supply, raises their costs, and rewards corporations for doing nothing. That is a betrayal of public trust, plain and simple. If Congress does not act decisively and publicly, then you are signaling that this kind of reckless, self-inflicted financial damage is acceptable. It is not. Stop this. Expose it. Hold those responsible accountable.