FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, March 14, 2025
PRESS CONTACT:
esperanza@focalpointstrategygroup.com
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Integrity Project today expressed grave concern over recent actions by the Trump administration targeting climate grant recipients with criminal investigations, following revelations that Citibank froze accounts of nonprofit organizations and state government agencies at the FBI’s request.
According to court documents filed by Citibank on Wednesday, the bank temporarily froze accounts of climate grant recipients after being informed by the FBI of an “ongoing criminal investigation” into the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. This fund, authorized in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act is designed to combat climate change and support clean energy initiatives across the country.
In response, Congressional Integrity Project Senior Advisor Kyle Herrig issued the following statement:
“What we’re witnessing is a dangerous and unprecedented attack on civil society organizations working to address the climate crisis,” said Herrig. “Using federal law enforcement agencies to target nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity and the United Way, along with state government agencies, represents a chilling escalation in the administration’s anti-climate crusade.”
The court filing reveals that the FBI “recommended placing a 30-day administrative freeze on the accounts in light of ‘credible information’ of possible criminal violations,” including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and wire fraud. In the middle of this court battle, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who has a history of downplaying climate change impacts, abruptly announced the total termination of $20 billion in grants from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
Among the organizations affected are Habitat for Humanity, United Way, the Colorado Clean Energy Fund, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance – entities that serve communities across the political spectrum.
“This is part of a broader pattern of using government power to target political opponents,” Herrig continued. “When federal agencies weaponize their authority to freeze funds for climate action and intimidate organizations working for the public good, we must recognize this as a threat to our democratic institutions and the rule of law.”
These developments coincide with other concerning actions, including the administration’s attempt to deport a legal permanent resident apparently due to his political activism, further suggesting a troubling willingness to use criminal investigations and other governmental tools against perceived opponents.
“We call on Congress to exercise its oversight authority and investigate these apparent abuses of power,” Herrig added. “The American people deserve to know whether law enforcement agencies are being directed to target organizations based on political considerations rather than legitimate legal concerns.”