In a recent episode of All In with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, host Chris Hayes interviewed Stacey Abrams following President Donald Trump’s criticism of her $1.9 billion clean energy initiative. Trump accused Abrams of corruption and announced he was withdrawing funding from the program. The segment sparked ridicule on social media, with critics calling the expenditures wasteful.
Hayes introduced the topic by noting that the program was designed to lower energy costs for Americans. He then played a clip of Trump’s address to Congress, where the former president singled out Abrams, questioning her involvement in the “decarbonization of homes committee” and casting doubt on the initiative’s legitimacy.
Abrams explained that in 2023 and 2024, she led a program called [re]vitalizing DeSoto in south Georgia. The project aimed to replace energy-inefficient appliances with energy-efficient ones, helping about 75% of the community lower their electricity bills. She cited a specific example where a resident’s bill dropped from $180 to $98 monthly, illustrating the program’s impact.
situation stated.
Watch the clip here:
Abrams further shared that a coalition of organizations, impressed by these results, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand the program nationally. The EPA approved, enabling the investment of federal funds to scale the initiative to help millions of Americans reduce their energy costs.
Conservative commentators reacted strongly on social media, accusing Abrams and the EPA of bribery and misuse of taxpayer money. Fox News contributor Steve Milloy mocked the program as vote-buying disguised as energy efficiency efforts, comparing it to “Biden refrigerators” replacing “Obama phones.”
Critics questioned the math, pointing out that $2 billion allocated to just 116 homes would equate to an absurdly high cost per residence. Others expressed frustration over the use of taxpayer funds for appliance purchases, feeling it was unfair or a misuse of government resources amid political controversies.