In late February 2025, multiple news outlets reported that U.S. President Donald Trump directed the General Services Administration — which manages federal buildings — to shutter its electric vehicle charging stations. The claim spread to multiple social media platforms, including X, Reddit and Bluesky.
Some who read the reports expressed confusion as to why the Trump administration would want to remove EV chargers from government buildings across the country, as opposed to the GSA simply ceasing installation of new charging stations. Below, we break down what is fact and what is, as of this writing, an unsubstantiated
On Feb. 20, Colorado Public Radio reported that EV chargers at the Denver Federal Center would "likely soon be shut down" after reviewing an internal email from "multiple sources." According to the report, the email read: "As GSA has worked to align with the current administration, we have received direction that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission critical."
The next day, other sites, including Inside Climate News and The Verge, also reported they reviewed the internal email, publishing articles with headlines that claimed Trump wanted to "disconnect" and "shut down" the GSA's EV charging stations.
We reached out to the GSA, which confirmed that the acting administrator of the agency issued a memo in January 2025 ordering the "temporary suspension of all new GSA obligations" — which includes federal fleet orders of zero-emission vehicles. The GSA did not confirm that it would remove charging stations.
According to the GSA's acting press secretary, Will Powell, as of Feb. 27 the GSA was still working to confirm whether car charging stations are "mission critical," and the agency has not yet taken action regarding EV chargers at federal buildings across the U.S. His full statement, sent via email, read as follows:
The GSA did not directly respond to questions concerning proof of the specific email Inside Climate News and The Verge reported or whether the orders came directly from the Trump administration. The GSA also did not confirm whether it would eventually remove EV charging stations as a result of canceled contracts or immediately as a result of any order.
Without independent review of the alleged email or a public announcement from the Trump administration, we cannot verify this email's specific contents. Inside Climate News claimed a GSA employee did confirm the veracity of the email and said the chargers would "be removed." The Verge also reported that "the official guidance instructing federal workers to begin the process of shutting down the chargers will be announced internally next week, according to a source with knowledge of the plans."
We reached out to the Trump administration seeking comment, and will update this story if we receive a response.
It is worth noting that the GSA's webpage (archived) detailing federal EV infrastructure is no longer live, as of this writing.
In sum, although the GSA did confirm to Snopes that a temporary suspension of all new GSA obligations is in place, including orders of federal EVs, and that it is working with agency partners to determine whether EV charging stations at federal buildings are "mission critical," the agency did not confirm it would remove or shut down EV chargers in federal buildings across the country.