Thread by @AriNatter

SCOOP: Trump is again seeking deep cuts to clean energy spending, will propose slashing funding for renewables and energy efficiency by 70 percent
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would see its $2.3 billion budget slashed by about 70 percent, to $700 million, under President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget request coming out Monday.

Dead on arrival on the Hill of course -- last year Congress provided more than 3 times the White House’s request for the agency -- but it represents a starting point in negotiations and shows the administration's energy priorities.

Daniel Simmons, the head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, says he can comment budget during testimony before @EnergyCommerce this morning:
"But I'm more than happy to talk about how we are executing the monies that have been appropriated for FY2019."

“It’s a shutdown budget,” said Mike Carr, who served as the No. 2 official within the division under President Barack Obama. “That’s apparently what they want to signal to their base -- they still want to shut these programs down.”