Democrats and environmental groups slam move as ‘sick political game’ and say it will drive up energy bills

The Trump administration is cancelling $7.6bn in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election.

The move comes as Donald Trump threatens deep cuts in his fight with congressional Democrats over the government shutdown.

The energy department said in a statement on Thursday that 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Officials did not provide details about which projects are being cut, but said funding came from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and other energy department bureaus.