House Democrats probe TotalEnergies offshore wind deal

"Making a secretive, taxpayer-funded deal and trying to shield it from any legislative oversight does not generate confidence that this deal benefits the American people," the Democrats wrote in a letter.

April 29, 2026

Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland said Wednesday they are launching a probe into French energy giant TotalEnergies over its offshore wind lease deal with the Trump administration.

"Making a secretive, taxpayer-funded deal and trying to shield it from any legislative oversight does not generate confidence that this deal benefits the American people," the top Democrats on the Natural Resources and Judiciary committees wrote to TotalEnergies' CEO Patrick Pouyanné. "Therefore, Committee Democrats have opened a formal investigation into you and your company, TotalEnergies."

In their letter, the Democrats call on the company to preserve every document tied to its deal with the Trump administration and to "immediately" place all funds received from the Treasury Department arising from the settlement agreements into an escrow account.

The Trump administration reached a nearly $1 billion agreement with TotalEnergies last month to cancel its offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York and North Carolina. As part of the agreement, TotalEnergies committed to invest the value of its leases into oil and natural gas production in the United States.

The deal has prompted congressional scrutiny and has raised numerous legal questions.

TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. A spokesperson previously said the deal was returning the company's "own money."

The Democrats on Wednesday pointed to areas that they claim made the deal unlawful, including the Interior Department's reliance on national security concerns and the formula used for calculating compensation.

They also alleged that the administration illegally used money from the Treasury Department's Judgment Fund to pay TotalEnergies, and they point to language in the settlement agreement that they argue is "unconstitutional on its face."

"The contract you made with Trump’s administration bypasses the system Congress created to prevent corruption, created a payment arrangement that is likely illegal, and snuck in a provision that wrongfully claims federal courts have no right to review your deal," the Democrats wrote.

Huffman and Raskin previously requested documents and information about the settlement agreements. Since then, the department made public those agreements.

The Trump administration on Monday announced two more similar agreements to end offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York and California, totaling another $885 million.


By:  Kelsey Tamborrino
Source: Politico Pro