The House Oversight Committee is launching a probe into a controversial program funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg that embeds climate activists in state attorney general offices. The program, run through the NYU School of Law’s State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, pays the salaries of legal fellows working to advance environmental lawsuits—but only for Democrat AGs.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) called out the scheme, saying the use of private money to fund public legal work undermines the integrity of the state attorney general offices. “The Bloomberg-NYU program effectively offers states partisan money from a billionaire to carry out official functions of their offices,” Comer wrote.
Bloomberg’s nonprofit, Bloomberg Philanthropies, has poured $5.6 million into the initiative. Since 2017, it has placed fellows in at least 10 states and D.C., where they’ve helped pursue lawsuits against oil and gas companies and supported burdensome federal regulations.
One such fellow, Lauren Cullum, serves as special assistant attorney general in D.C. and has led or contributed to multiple high-profile climate cases. An investigation by the Free Beacon revealed her deep involvement in advancing Biden-era climate regulations while targeting former President Donald Trump’s energy policies.
“The Bloomberg-NYU partisan agenda will likely hurt working-class Americans,” Comer wrote. “The average American household will pay the cost… in the form of subsidies and regulations, fewer energy options, taxes to fund federal agencies’ legal defense, and higher utility bills.”
The Oversight Committee is demanding documents from both the impact center and Bloomberg’s foundation to determine the extent of influence behind this climate-driven political infiltration.
