"According to an internal email, EPA officials knew they had no contractual right to cancel dozens of grants. They did it anyway."

"Trump officials knew their legal justification for terminating dozens of Environmental Protection Agency grants was flawed, according to documents and internal emails reviewed by The Washington Post.

An agency lawyer warned officials they had cited contractual language that did not apply to many of the grants the EPA had ended in recent weeks, advising that terminations could be reversed if recipients challenged them administratively or in court.

Since President Donald Trump took office, the EPA has targeted billions of dollars in grants authorized by the Biden administration. This month, the agency announced the cancellation of an additional 400 grants, totaling $1.7 billion, many of which were meant to improve air and water quality and strengthen resilience to natural disasters.

Grant recipients received emails in late February stating that their grants had been terminated on the grounds that they no longer fit the agency’s priorities, referring to a clause in their grants’ general terms and conditions allowing for awards to be voided."

Amudalat Ajasa reports for the Washington Post March 25, 2025. [2]