President Trump [EPA=Yonhap News File Photo]

The U.S. Trump administration has admitted that it withheld clean energy subsidies from states that supported former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was President Trump’s rival in the last presidential election.

This implies that the administration engaged in retaliatory governance, using the political leanings of state governments as a pretext for withholding federal grants.

CNN reported on the 25th (local time) that this fact emerged during a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by researchers at the University of California regarding the cancellation of clean energy subsidies.

In a document submitted to the court on the 15th, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) admitted that "the grants included in the October notification were determined solely based on the political leanings of the state in which the recipient was located, namely whether it was a 'blue state' (Democrat-leaning) or a 'non-blue state' (Republican-leaning)."

The Department of Energy stated that it had sent a list of over 600 grants, which were set to be disbursed to states where former Vice President Harris won and which are represented by two Democratic senators, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with a recommendation for cancellation.

Following this, the Office of Management and Budget suspended 284 grants last October.

Democratic lawmakers have condemned the Trump administration for abusing its power.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticized the move on social media platform X, stating, "Trump has admitted that he is pulling the rug out from under hardworking families to get revenge on Americans who didn't support him," calling the behavior "sick and unhinged."

Harris leaving after conceding election defeat [EPA=Yonhap News File Photo]

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) also noted, "This kind of sweeping partisan retribution is absurd, appalling, unconstitutional, and a profound betrayal of the United States."

Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), both members of the Appropriations Committee, issued a joint statement arguing, "The President and his team have admitted to abusing their corrupt power to destroy good-paying jobs and punish hardworking families simply because of their political views," adding that "weaponizing the federal government is un-American."

CNN pointed out that this issue aligns with previous actions by the Trump administration to block federal funding to Democratic-leaning states.

Since the start of his second term, President Trump has been widely pursuing retaliation against his political opponents.

Earlier this year, the administration attempted to withhold $10 billion in social welfare funding from five Democratic-leaning states, but was forced to withdraw the plan after it was blocked by the courts.