Last week, congressional committees kicked off the process of writing their pieces of their budget reconciliation bill. This bill has the potential to become one of the most harmful, costly and sweeping pieces of legislation in recent history. With their extremely narrow majority, and a president whose approval numbers are in steep decline, House Republicans have to decide whether they stand with billionaire executives or hardworking families who stand to face job loss, dirtier air and water, and increased costs from this extreme legislation.
Timeandtimeagainwe have seen that the clean energy investments some in Congress are attacking are helping real people across the country, especially those indistrictsrepresentedbyRepublicans. These clean energy initiatives are creating good jobs, lowering costs, and making us more competitive, while helping cut down on the pollution that threatens our air, water, and lands. Sadly, congressional Republicans have made abundantly clear that they are out of touch with what people want by instead advancing legislation that prioritizes Big Oil and Big Polluters over the American people.
It is simply wrong to cut essential programs and services to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. Here at LCV, we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure people in Washington and back home in members’ districts are hearing and seeing what is happening as this bill takes shape. Here are some of the key committees and potential issues we’ll be watching closely as this process unfolds, and you should keep an eye on too.
The 2025 Reconciliation Bill: Key Things to Watch
Anti-environmental measures that have advanced:
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Added a new tax on lower emission vehicles and related charging infrastructure. Rolling back funding for charging infrastructure and tacking additional fees on hybrid and electric vehicles will limit consumers’ ability to reduce costs, while at the same time playing into the hands of Big Oil executives who stand to profit off the reduction of electric vehicles.
Gutted grants for low-carbon transportation and building materials that were meant to jump start the U.S. market for low-carbon steel and cement. Steel and cement are among the most polluting industries, and gutting these programs undermines efforts to build a market for U.S.-made clean steel and cement.
Gutted investments in reconnecting communities that have been torn apart by highways and other infrastructure and undermined funding for environmental reviews, which could actually slow down project permit approvals.
Homeland Security Committee and Judiciary Committee
At the end of April, the Homeland Security Committee approved $46 billion for the racist, ineffective and environmentally destructive border wall. The reconciliation bill grants Trump and his administration a total of $200 billion taxpayer dollars across the Homeland and Judiciary Committees — funding that instead could be used to improve people’s lives through essential programs like emergency response, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP and more.Funding Trump’s mass deportation agenda and continuing attacks against constitutionally protected rights is a direct threat to civil liberties and our democracy.
The Judiciary Committee passed a provision akin to the REINS Act, effectively blocking critical public protections, and requiring a five-year process for Congressional approval of all existing rules. Provisions in the bill also seek to block access to the courts. This is a sweeping tool for Trump to slash and burn environmental and public health safeguards and for polluters and other corporate interests to halt new safeguards and implementation of existing laws. These provisions mean more power for the Trump administration and the elimination of protections for public health, consumers, and the environment so that polluters can do as they please.
Potential anti-environmental measures to come:
Natural Resources Committee
How many of our public lands will they sell off to polluting interests? We expect to see attempts to sell off our public lands and waters to the highest bidder to fund tax cuts for Big Oil executives and billionaires. Public lands enjoy widespread support and are engines of local economies, generating billions of dollars in revenue and supporting countless jobs in surrounding communities. The sell-off of our public lands is extremely unpopular and threatens the rights of all Americans to access nature, have clean air to breathe and water to drink, and to safeguard their culture and history.
Energy and Commerce Committee
Will the Energy and Commerce Committee gut programs that help families buy energy-saving home appliances and make their homes more comfortable, healthy, and efficient? Home energy rebates have helped families across the country not only affordably transition to clean energy, but also lowered their energy bills, reduced pollution, and spurred demand for more domestic manufacturing. Families could see an increase in their home energy bills should these rebates get a funding cut.
Will polluters get their way and have the committee end a program that fixes methane leaks and puts a fee on wasted methane gas? This commonsense program reduces the amount of gas wasted each day while being transported from wells to power plants and people’s homes; scrapping it would only mean higher energy costs for families. The methane fee only applies to oil and gas companies who pollute above a certain threshold which many in the industry are already meeting. Ending this program would help the dirtiest companies at the expense of communities, consumers and our climate.
Will they cut funding for programs that reduce air pollution in communities across the country, including programs meant to address air pollution at schools, ports, near highways, and more? Families could see rates of asthma and cancer go up while polluters see tax breaks.
Agriculture Committee
Will the Agriculture Committee turn its back on farmers? Climate-smart agriculture and conservation funding helps farmers be more sustainable and resilient while they continue to put food on the table in communities across the country. Many farmers have already been left holding the bag with huge cost burdens after the Trump administration backed out of contracts as part of their funding freeze. We could see House Republicans cut or redirect critical conservation funding towards padding the pockets of corporate agribusinesses rather than assisting smaller and family-run farms invest in practices to fight the climate crisis, improve soil health, protect our water and lands, and ensure a sustainable food system for generations to come.
Ways and Means Committee
Are job-creating and energy cost-reducing tax investments still on the chopping block? Despite 21 House Republicans opposing cuts to clean energy tax credits, many in the House Republican caucus are still trying to repeal them. Multiple expert analyses underscore that gutting these credits will increase energy costs — a growing concern for families across the country. A recent NERA study found that repealing key clean energy tax credits would raise average U.S. residential electricity prices by nearly 7% by 2026 – equating to an average yearly increase of more than $110 for the average American residential customer. Another analysis released by Aurora Energy Research found that removing these clean energy tax credits would not only result in job loss and cancelled projects, but also would increase families’ energy bills with spikes across the country, including a whopping $468 in New York and $348 in Texas in 2040. Clean energy is the fastest and cheapest form of energy to bring online and is an important solution to meeting rising energy demands driven by data centers, manufacturing growth, and electrification. These tax credits are helping lower energy costs for hardworking families and businesses across the country, while also creating good jobs and revitalizing communities that have suffered from disinvestment over the last several decades as manufacturing and other blue collar jobs have been offshored.
The next three weeks will be the biggest chance we get to defend clean energy investments all year – and maybe for several years to come. If you care about any of these issues, from clean water to affordable energy to more jobs, please call your elected officials (here’s how!) at 224-3121and tell them you need them to stand up for us, and not for billionaires. Getting a busy signal? Google your Representative’s name plus “district office phone” and try their local office!
