The Trump administration has reportedly suggested cutting funds for the Energy Department’s renewable energy office by nearly three-quarters, as part of the President's shift away from "green" energy development.

The cuts to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), which helps to transition the US to a clean energy economy, are reportedly even deeper than the two-thirds budget reduction Donald Trump proposed last year.

“It shows that we’ve made no inroads in terms of convincing the administration of our value, and if anything, our value based on these numbers has dropped,” one EERE employee told the Washington Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A draft of the President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2019 shows the administration wants to lower the office’s budget from $2.04bn this year to $575.5m in 2019, according to the Post.

The draft suggests cutting research into fuel-efficient vehicles by 82 per cent, bioenergy technologies by 82 per cent, and solar energy technology by 78 per cent. It would also cut funding for research into geothermal, hydro and wind power.

Congress has the final say in budget appropriations, and it is unlikely legislators will implement the full, 72-percent cut suggested by Mr Trump. The President recommended reducing the EERE budget to $636.1m in 2018, but Congress did not implement the change.

Trump seems to have different idea to how energy exports work to the Polish President

It is unclear whether the documents viewed by the Post were preliminary drafts of the President’s budget, or completed versions. The White House told the Post that it would not comment on any pre-decisional documents prior to the release of the official budget.

A spokesperson for the Energy Department said she would not comment on the budget before its release, but urged anyone questioning the administration's approach to "simply look at our record".

"Last year the Energy Department awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to solar and wind energy," Press Secretary Shayln Hynes said. "Though it may not fit into the narrative of the environmental lobby and their pundits, the truth is that Secretary Perry believes that there is a role for all fuels – including renewables – in our energy mix."

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Mr Trump has made his preference for natural gas and “clean coal” known, boasting in his recent State of the Union address that he had “ended the war on clean coal” and made America “an exporter of energy to the world”. (The Energy Information Administration deemed the US a net exporter of energy shortly before Mr Trump took office.)

Last week, the President implemented a tariff of up to 30 per cent on solar panels made abroad, angering green-energy advocates. In March of last year, he signed an executive order scrapping the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and ordering the reduction of environmental regulations on the energy industry.

At a coal conference in West Virginia on Wednesday, a Trump administration adviser told industry insiders he was “here to help”.

“I went to Washington, DC, for one purpose and that was to help create coal jobs in the United States. That's my total purpose for being there,” said Doug Matheney, the special adviser in the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy, according to Axios.