--- title: Donald Trump Tries to Cut Renewable Energy Programs description: The Trump Administration has moved to dramatically cut funding for a program supporting research and development of clean energy. canonical: https://time.com/5128572/donald-trump-clean-energy-research/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-01T16:56:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:06:23.113Z article:section: Politics og:title: This Clean Energy Research Has Been a Bipartisan Priority for Decades. Trump Wants to Cut It by 72% og:description: It's part of a broader effort against renewable energy og:url: https://time.com/5128572/donald-trump-clean-energy-research/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd1d663e8f123977/6988fa39db2987b52225e97f/donald-trump-clean-energy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: donald trump clean energy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Clean Energy Research Has Been a Bipartisan Priority for Decades. Trump Wants to Cut It by 72% twitter:description: It's part of a broader effort against renewable energy twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd1d663e8f123977/6988fa39db2987b52225e97f/donald-trump-clean-energy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Clean Energy Research Has Been a Bipartisan Priority for Decades. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=355f4ba4-0328-48fc-b1f3-76dc0258c6cd&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 1, 2018 4:56 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, delivers remarks at the Unleashing American Energy event at the Department of Energy on June 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, delivers remarks at the Unleashing American Energy event at the Department of Energy on June 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch-Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Feb 1, 2018 4:56 PM UTC The Trump Administration has moved to dramatically cut funding for a Department of Energy program supporting research and development of clean energy technologies, the president’s latest attempt to stall renewable energy sources like wind and solar to benefit fossil fuels. The 72% cut would be imposed on the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, according to a Washington _Post_ [report](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-seeks-72-percent-cut-to-clean-energy-research-underscoring-administrations-preference-for-fossil-fuelsv/2018/01/31/c2c69350-05f3-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.845b1e93b24c). The office, which received $2 billion in funding the current fiscal year, supports research in a variety of clean energy technologies from electric vehicles to to solar power. Trump’s move bucks decades of bipartisan efforts to advance clean energy. Investments in clean energy technology help fight climate change, but they also support a burgeoning domestic industry at a time when the world increasingly demands clean energy. Democrats and Republicans alike have also argued that alternative energy programs help ensure U.S. energy security: relying less on oil and gas in the power sector ensures a steady domestic supply and supports the goal of exporting energy. For those reasons, the cuts are unlikely to be approved by Congress. Top Republicans have balked at the Trump’s past efforts to cut funding for renewable programs. “The president has suggested a budget,” Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee [said](http://time.com/4703638/donald-trump-budget-energy-arpa-epa/) last year in response to similar proposals. “But, under the Constitution, Congress passes appropriations bills.” But protests from fellow Republicans are unlikely to stop Trump’s broader energy agenda. The Administration has launched a multi-pronged effort to stem the growth of renewable energy sources while propping up the ailing coal industry. Trump has [proposed new rules](http://time.com/4838705/fight-over-the-electric-grid-green-power-boom/) to support coal-fired power plants that are not financially viable, cut climate change programs and imposed a steep [tariff](http://time.com/5084108/solar-energy-tariff/) on imported solar panels. Energy analysts say that those moves are unlikely to help coal companies, a Trump constituency, though they may still hurt the growing renewable energy sector. The Energy Information Administration, the federal agency responsible for energy data, [shows](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=34572) coal production falling in the next two years. Meanwhile, solar power companies have already experienced a slowdown as a result of the tariffs. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5128572/donald-trump-clean-energy-research/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5128572/donald-trump-clean-energy-research/"},"headline":"This Clean Energy Research Has Been a Bipartisan Priority for Decades. 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