## When the Inspector General Says Stop, You Should Probably Listen
Here’s what should make every taxpayer’s blood pressure spike: The Department of Energy’s own Inspector General said “hold on, we’ve got problems here,” and they were completely ignored. We’re talking about $400 billion. That’s not a typo. Four hundred billion dollars in green energy grants and loans that Jennifer Granholm’s DOE shoved out the door while Trump was literally packing his moving trucks.
Daniel Turner from Power the Future isn’t mincing words. He’s calling on Congress to investigate what looks like the most expensive going-away party in government history. And honestly? The timing couldn’t be more perfect, because Minnesota’s fraud scandal is showing us exactly what happens when oversight becomes an afterthought and political agendas trump fiscal responsibility.
The numbers are staggering. In the final weeks of Biden’s term, Granholm authorized tens of billions in so-called clean energy grants. That’s more than many years of prior DOE activity combined. You know what that smells like? Panic. The kind of panic that sets in when you realize your political window is closing and you’ve got to cement your legacy before the adults return to the room.
## The Red Flags Were Waving Like Crazy
Let’s talk about those internal controls the Inspector General was worried about. When your own watchdog says the program needs to pause for review, that’s not a suggestion you ignore unless you’re more interested in political points than protecting taxpayer dollars. But ignore it they did.
Four days before Trump’s inauguration, the DOE’s Loan Programs Office granted roughly $710 million as part of a 12-state “affordable energy initiative.” Four days. Think about that. Most of us can’t get a permit to build a deck in four days, but the federal government can distribute three-quarters of a billion dollars.
This isn’t just about bad timing or bureaucratic inefficiency. It’s about a fundamental disrespect for the people whose money this actually is. Every dollar the government spends came from somewhere. It came from families choosing between groceries and gas. It came from small business owners trying to make payroll. It came from young people whose future earnings are being mortgaged before they even start their careers.
## The Minnesota Connection Nobody Saw Coming
The Minnesota fraud scandal is the canary in the coal mine here. When government programs operate without proper oversight, when speed matters more than scrutiny, when political objectives overshadow fiscal responsibility, fraud doesn’t just become possible. It becomes inevitable.
Conservative values aren’t complicated. We believe in limited government precisely because we understand human nature. The bigger the pot of money, the more flies it attracts. The less oversight, the more opportunity for waste, fraud, and abuse. This isn’t cynicism; it’s reality backed by decades of evidence.
Sen. Josh Hawley called for Granholm’s resignation during a Senate hearing. While she’s already gone, the principle matters. Accountability can’t be optional. When officials ignore their own Inspector General’s warnings and rush billions out the door, there have to be consequences. Otherwise, what’s to stop the next administration from doing the exact same thing?
## What Happens Next Actually Matters
Turner’s letter to Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. James Comer isn’t just political theater. It’s a roadmap for accountability. Congress needs to examine every grant, every loan guarantee, every sweetheart deal that got approved in those final chaotic weeks. We need to know who got the money, why they got it, and whether politics played any role in those decisions.
The free market doesn’t need government picking winners and losers. It needs government to get out of the way and let innovation happen naturally. When bureaucrats start deciding which energy companies deserve billions in subsidies, we’re not promoting clean energy. We’re promoting cronyism with a green veneer.
This investigation matters because it’s about more than just recovering potentially wasted funds. It’s about establishing a precedent that rushed, politically motivated spending won’t be tolerated. It’s about reminding every future administration that taxpayer dollars aren’t campaign promises waiting to be fulfilled. They’re sacred trusts that demand respect and scrutiny.
The American people deserve better than this. They deserve a government that treats their money with the same care they use when budgeting their own households. Is that really too much to ask?
Related: Venezuela’s Oil Could Pay Its Own Bill If We Let the Market Do Its Job