GOP legislation benefits fossil fuel industry, adds taxes to renewable energy, and undermines U.S. energy independence

WASHINGTON, DC – In utter betrayal of the American people, Republicans in the US Senate dealt a major blow to rural and urban working-class families today by passing President Donald Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill.” Unbelievably, the Senate has gone further than the House of Representatives in doing the bidding of the fossil fuel industry by gutting clean energy investments and now adding punitive and cost-raising taxes to wind and solar, the least expensive forms of energy. According to a recent analysis by Energy Innovation, the legislation could result in consumer electricity rates increasing between 9-16% and the loss of up to 770,000 jobs in the clean energy sector. 

Trump’s Big Ugly Bill extends generous subsidies to the fossil fuel industry for another decade, while penalizing clean energy investments, despite overwhelming evidence that clean energy leads to lower costs, reduced pollution, and job growth. Independent analysis of the legislation also projects that energy generation capacity will fall by 300 gigawatts over the next decade, resulting in a dramatic increase in electricity prices and making the grid far less reliable. Additionally, the bill would undermine our energy independence and raise gas prices by at least 25 cents per gallon because of increased demand.

Beyond the energy sector, the legislation includes deep cuts to social safety net programs, delivering a body blow to American families. Millions of seniors, children, and those with disabilities are at risk of losing medical coverage, and substantial reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) threaten to increase food insecurity for families across the country. Advocates warn that the bill prioritizes tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, while imposing new burdens on working families and undermining progress toward affordable, clean energy and robust social support systems. 

“The Big Ugly Bill will be catastrophic for the American people, and we won’t have to wait long to see the devastating impacts,” said Quentin Scott, Federal Policy Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund. “Jobs will be lost, energy costs will skyrocket, our energy grid will be less resilient and less reliable, we’ll concede energy dominance to nations investing in wind and solar, and our climate goals will be out of reach. It’s hard to imagine one single bill doing more damage to all Americans than Trump’s abhorrent, Big Ugly Bill. CCAN Action Fund will make sure the American people never forget this betrayal at the ballot box.” 

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state, and national levels to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement toward clean energy solutions, focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success, so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.