When Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, announced last week that he was canceling $8 billion in federal funding for energy projects, it was clear that his directive was aimed at hurting Democrats in states they lead.
It was part of the White House’s strategy to maximize the pain of a government shutdown that has now entered its second week. President Trump has repeatedly suggested that he views the shutdown as an “unprecedented opportunity” to cut programs and agencies favored by Democrats.
“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” Mr. Trump said last week. “We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things.”
But the energy cuts also appear to have done collateral damage to projects championed by House Republicans in competitive districts in blue states from New York to California — the kind of seats that built the G.O.P. majority, and whose loss could wipe it out. It is the latest example of how Mr. Trump’s aggressive moves to bend the government to his will have threatened his own party’s political standing.
All told, the White House funding cancellations this month have hit projects in 28 Republican House districts, including those of six so-called front-liners, the most politically vulnerable lawmakers facing re-election next year: Representatives Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Gabe Evans of Colorado and Mike Lawler of New York; and Ken Calvert, David Valadao and Young Kim, all of California. A total of 108 Democratic districts were hit by cancellations, according to data released by House Democrats on the Appropriations Committee.
Typically, administrations try to avoid making moves that could create political blowback for their allies in Congress, especially those who could make or break their party’s grip on power. But the Trump administration has largely taken a meat-ax approach to cutting federal programs and funding, ignoring Congress and leaving its allies on Capitol Hill to cope with the consequences.
Republican lawmakers also saw funding for their priorities obliterated in the early days of the Department of Government Efficiency’s campaign to downsize the federal government. Rather than openly protest, G.O.P. lawmakers quietly sought carve-outs and special considerations for scientific research and agricultural programs, even as they publicly cheered Mr. Trump’s overall approach.
So far, few Republicans have made much public noise about the White House’s shutdown cancellations.
The affected projects include $1 billion for the Pacific Northwest hydrogen hub that was expected to create jobs in Republican districts in Oregon, Washington and Montana; $29 million for a new hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing facility; and more than $26 million for two projects in Mr. Lawler’s Hudson Valley district.
“I’m in New York and I’m a Republican, and obviously this project cancellation impacts my district, so it’s not just Democrats getting impacted,” Mr. Lawler said on CNN.
A $70 million grant for an experimental long-duration battery system based in the district represented by Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 House Republican, was also canceled.
Mr. Evans, one of the most politically endangered Republicans, in September toured United Power’s Mountain Peak natural gas peaking plant in his district and touted on social media how the “investment will help provide more reliable, safe, and affordable energy” for his constituents.
Federal funding for that project — roughly $6 million — was axed last week. A grant for a second project in his district, worth $27 million, was also canceled.
Mr. Calvert, Mr. Valadao and Mr. Kim may stand to lose the most. The largest canceled award would provide $1.2 billion to projects in California focused on the production, transportation and storage of clean hydrogen.
In a bipartisan letter in April, the California delegation, including four Republicans, urged Energy Secretary Chris Wright not to cancel the funding.
“These projects — and the economic growth and American jobs they support — are dispersed across the state of California from the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland to the reservation of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians to Lancaster, Calif.,” the lawmakers wrote. “The investment is already being used to bring together private industry, local governments and community organizations to collaborate and build a secure, American-made energy future.”
Mr. Lawler is one of just a few House Republicans who have publicly addressed the cancellations proactively. His constituents were also affected by Mr. Vought’s announcement that the administration would freeze $18 billion in infrastructure spending for New York City.
“My office has been actively engaged with the White House since Tuesday morning to push for the reversal of both of these decisions and restoration of full funding,” he wrote on social media. “We will continue working with the administration and my colleagues in Congress to make sure New York gets the support it needs to protect its residents and strengthen our economy.”
Representative Tom Kean, Republican of New Jersey, also denounced the cancellation of federal funding for the Gateway tunnel project. But in a statement, he blamed “Democrat leaders in New Jersey and New York” for “playing senseless political games, which are threatening to result in real delays in construction.”