USDA extends deadline for grant recipients of a rural energy program to resubmit proposals to align with Trump's goals

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins (USDA photo)

The Department of Agriculture extended the window for rural energy program grantees to resubmit their revised energy proposals. Although the grantees were already promised $10.8 billion in grants and loan subsidies, they were told to "resubmit their projects to align with President Donald Trump’s energy priorities," reports Julia Tilton of The Daily Yonder.

In late March, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that REAP, New ERA, and PACE funding would be released to grantees; however, the announcement "also gave recipients 30 days to voluntarily resubmit proposals to refocus their projects on expanding American energy production," Tilton writes. Grantees were told to remove any Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility planning from their proposals before resubmission.

The deadline for resubmission was the end of April, but it was moved to the end of May. Tilton adds, "In the meantime, awardees express uncertainty around the future of their awards. . . .So far, most of the money from PACE, New ERA, and REAP has flowed or been awarded to Republican districts."

For farmers who have already completed their energy projects, resubmitting their proposals and waiting for payment can be particularly onerous. Maine farmer Kevin Leavitt installed "solar panels on his small farm in 2024 as part of a $140,000 project to generate efficient electricity," Tilton writes. "Leavitt was due to receive $48,000 in funding from REAP in January 2025. Leavitt’s check didn’t arrive until April."

Leavitt told Tilton, "Yeah, we got paid, but it cost me four months of talking to 30 different reporters and Congress members to get it to actually come back around." Tilton reports, "Blocking funding for USDA programs that have already been approved and appropriated by Congress is illegal."