Charleston Leader

On May 21, 2024, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, addressed findings from the EPW Committee during a weekly Senate Republican Leadership press conference. The committee's oversight revealed that a $50 million grant was awarded by the EPA through the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to "Climate Justice Alliance," a group allegedly engaged in pro-Hamas, anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic activities.

"The money is from the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. So in the name of green, and environmental justice, there's over $40 billion that is going to be granted out through the EPA," said Senator Capito. "So, with this great research that was done, what was discovered [was] that in December, the EPA granted $50 million to an organization called Climate Justice Alliance."

Capito further detailed her concerns about the organization's activities. "This is what we found on the website that our taxpayer dollars are going to organizations such as this...a picture of the bulldozer that went through the fence when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. They have a rendering on their website; it says ‘Decolonize Palestine’ and it has a picture of that same bulldozer going through that fence.”

She also raised alarms about other affiliations and activities associated with Climate Justice Alliance. “If you dig deeper. They want to defund the police, defund the military...they're certainly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic,” Capito stated. “The Biden administration doesn't seem to care. $50 million dollars in December, who knows how much more in the future and other like groups because there are other associated groups with this group…all they care about is the mission, the climate mission.”

Senator Capito questioned whether these funds would be used for environmental purposes or for organizing protests such as those recently held at Hart Senate Office Building where several individuals were arrested. She emphasized ongoing scrutiny: “Follow the money. We're going to be doing that in the Environment and Public Works Committee...I find it rather startling to me that the EPA and the administration are not doing any better research as to where our American taxpayer dollars are going.”