Vice President Harris's IRA grant recipients were screened for radical beliefs

Vice President Kamala Harris has come under scrutiny for her support of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the organizations selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive grants under that law. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has expressed concern about the nature of these groups, stating that many of them engage in activities that she characterizes as anti- Americans, anti-Semites and anti-Israeli. , anti-police and anti-border security.

Among the organizations cited by Moore Capito are the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), the NDN Collective, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. These groups, according to Moore Capito, have radical leftist beliefs and are willing to receive funding from the EPA under the IRA.

The CJA, which is expected to receive a $50 million grant from the EPA, has been criticized for its alleged support for Hamas and its stance on Israel. The Ella Baker Center and the NDN Collective have publicly advocated defunding the police, with the latter also voicing support for defunding the US military. Both the New York Immigration Coalition and the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice have expressed support for abolishing ICE or limiting its operations in their respective states.

When the groups selected for the EPA grants were announced in December 2023, Harris stated that she and President Joe Biden were committed to putting equity at the center of their climate investment strategy. He emphasized that the grants will ensure that resources for environmental justice projects go to the organizations that best understand their communities.

Moore Capito, however, has suggested that the EPA is rushing to distribute the grants because of fears of a potential return to the White House for former President Trump. The EPA has defended its selection process, saying it is conducted independently and in accordance with a rigorous grant competition policy. Harris' office has also responded to criticism, with the vice president condemning any association with Hamas, a terrorist organization. The groups selected for the EPA grants have not yet commented on the issue.