The White House is moving to cut electric vehicle charging costs by $943 million in states that voted against President Donald Trump.
Why are electric cars heavier than gasoline cars?
Electric cars are heavy. Seriously. Automakers are developing new battery technologies to reduce the load.
- The White House is moving to cut $943 million in funding for electric vehicle chargers to four states.
- The states affected are California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota, which voted against President Trump in the last election.
- The cuts are part of a larger effort to restore $1.5 billion in funding that the White House has identified as “woke.”
The White House is moving to cut $943 million in electric vehicle charging costs in four states that voted against President Donald Trump in the last U.S. presidential election.
The White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed to USA TODAY that the cuts will affect charger funds that were slated to go to Colorado, Illinois, California and Minnesota.
The Charger money, originally included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 signed by former President Joe Biden, is part of $1.5 billion in “wake” funds appropriated by Congress during the Biden administration, which the White House is now trying to extract from states, the New York Post reported.
Biden administration-era EV charger funding has been at the center of a legal battle since the second Trump administration took office in January 2025. The Trump administration initially sought to unilaterally eliminate the funding, but a court ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to proceed with the use of previously appropriated funds.
Congress is currently considering a bill to eliminate funding, and the White House has directed the U.S. Department of Transportation to immediately end funding in four blue states.
What does the elimination of charger fees mean for EV drivers?
For years, car buyers have told pollsters that they have major concerns about electric vehicle battery life. This concern comes up so often that it’s called “range anxiety.”
Twenty percent of 600 potential 2025 EV buyers say their biggest concern about plug-in models is that the charger network is unreliable, according to a new poll released Monday by EVs for All America, an advocacy group that works with automakers to push U.S. and state legislatures to adopt EV-friendly policies.
According to the same poll, 65% of respondents said they would like to charge their phone for 7-8 hours at home to get a full charge, but only 29% said they would choose a 30-minute charge in a public facility to reach 80% battery life.
Funding for chargers included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 and currently under consideration was supposed to help solve this problem. The legislation includes $5 billion in funding to states to boost America’s charging infrastructure, which is scheduled to be scaled back in 2026. The legislation also includes an additional $2.5 billion set aside for competitive grants that allow states to build chargers in alternative fuel corridors and disadvantaged areas.
How much money are states losing on EV chargers?
The White House Budget Office identified the following cuts for four states: According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the reduction and number of unique charging locations each state currently has is as follows:
California
Number of charging spots: 10,039
Suggested cuts:
- It would spend $15 million to build a more “robust, accessible, and equitable” electric vehicle charging network across nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on “serving underserved communities.”
- $2 million to the California Department of Transportation to incorporate “climate change adaptation” into plans to strengthen transportation assets against these external threats
colorado
Number of charging spots: 1,784
Suggested cuts:
- A $4.9 million project in Boulder County will install charging stations in “low- and moderate-income areas” and advance the county’s efforts to “just transition to zero-emission transportation.”
illinois
Number of charging spots: 1,332
Suggested cuts:
- Provides $100 million to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to deploy EV charging stations within 8 miles of “equity-eligible areas” in Illinois.
- $3.6 million for the Illinois Secretary of State to conduct a research study on best practices for translating commercial driver license (CDL) knowledge tests into Spanish.
minnesota
Number of charging spots: 850
Suggested cuts:
- Provides $15 million to the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council to deploy EV chargers in areas that prioritize low-income neighborhoods and “environmental justice communities.”
