Rep. Matsui Grills DOE Official on Disregard for Congressional Spending Authority

Congressional Authority Over Spending

• 🎯 Congress holds the constitutional authority to set spending levels, a fact confirmed by the Acting General Counsel Jeffrey Novak.
• ⚠️ Despite this, the Department of Energy's (DOE) 2025 spending plan is accused of completely disregarding these congressionally set levels.

Allegations of Illegal Reallocation of Funds

• ⚡ Congress appropriated $318 million for solar energy, but the DOE is allegedly using these funds for other purposes, which is described as illegal.
• 📊 Similarly, $137 million for wind energy has reportedly had 78% of its funding illegally reallocated by the DOE.
• ⚖️ This action is characterized as a shocking and unprecedented disregard for congressional authority and the law.

Renew America's Schools Program

• 💡 Representative Matsui authored the Healthier and Greener Schools Act, creating the Renew America's Schools grant program to improve air quality and energy efficiency in schools.
• 🚫 The DOE has reportedly withheld funding for this program since President Trump took office, impacting student health and access to cleaner air.
• 🧐 A nonpartisan GAO report found that the DOE has violated the law by withholding this funding.

DOE's Response and Accountability

• ❓ When questioned about these alleged violations and the GAO findings, Mr. Novak repeatedly stated that the questions were outside the scope of what he was prepared to testify on, offering to take them for the record.
• 🔒 As General Counsel, Mr. Novak is responsible for determining the department's authoritative position on legal questions, yet he declined to commit to spending the full appropriations enacted by Congress or to directly address the DOE's actions regarding the Renew America School program.
• 🏛️ Representative Matsui emphasized that only Congress has the authority to cancel funding, not the DOE or OMB, and sought commitment that the DOE would follow the law if Congress does not cancel the funding.