EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin just slammed the brakes on a staggering $2.3 billion in leftover funding from the Biden administration’s electric school bus program, citing serious concerns over waste and reliability.

This bold move comes after reports of buses failing in cold weather, massive manufacturing delays, and skyrocketing costs, all while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) pushes a mandate to electrify school fleets by 2035.

For hardworking New York taxpayers, especially parents with kids in rural districts, this is a financial gut punch—replacing nearly 45,000 diesel buses could cost a jaw-dropping $11.2 billion, not counting the extra burden of charging stations and building upgrades.

Zeldin Targets Waste in Biden’s Program

Let’s rewind to 2021, when the Biden EPA launched the $5 billion Clean School Bus Program under the bipartisan infrastructure law, aiming to replace over 8,000 diesel buses nationwide with electric models.

Of the $2.7 billion already spent, costs per bus averaged over $318,000, with New York City alone shelling out between $295,000 and nearly $395,000 per vehicle for just 180 buses using over $61 million in federal grants.

Yet, despite over $210 million in taxpayer money poured into New York, only 150 electric buses are actually running statewide—talk about a lousy return on investment.

Electric Buses Break Down, Literally

Fast forward to more recent troubles, and the cracks in this green dream are glaring—dozens of districts nationwide are still waiting for buses due to production delays.

In Erie County’s Lake Shore Central School District, nearly two dozen buses funded by a $7.9 million grant couldn’t even keep students warm, with breakdowns leaving kids stranded in the cold.

Is this what Hochul’s aggressive 2027 ban on diesel bus purchases and 2035 full-electric mandate are forcing on families? It’s a policy that feels more like a political stunt than a practical plan.

Hochul’s Mandate Meets Resistance

Speaking of mandates, New York school districts got $213 million to replace 681 buses since 2022, but a late 2024 state report shows only 7.4% of surveyed districts have even tried to fund electric buses through ballot measures—and several failed.

Rural districts, in particular, are reeling from the sticker shock, with critics pointing out that this progressive agenda diverts funds from classrooms to unproven tech. Assemblyman Robert Smullen didn’t mince words, calling it “an utterly ridiculous political act” that robs education budgets for transportation experiments.

Smullen’s right—why should kids’ learning suffer for a flashy green policy that can’t even deliver working buses?

Zeldin’s Reform Push Gains Traction

Zeldin, for his part, is done with the nonsense, having already axed $30 billion in wasteful grants and contracts since taking the EPA helm. He’s now zeroing in on this program, vowing, “At the Trump EPA, we have a ZERO tolerance policy towards any waste and abuse of hard-earned tax dollars.”

That’s a breath of fresh air for folks tired of seeing their money vanish into bureaucratic black holes, especially when an EPA audit flagged billions at risk of “fraud, waste, and abuse”—with $38 million in dodgy rebates already pulled back.