ROUND UP: Americans Are Facing More Rate Hikes Thanks to Trump As His Approval Rating Dips to Record Lows
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Trump’s war of choice is making everything more expensive as Americans continue to reel from an energy affordability crisis he created
39% of Americans disapprove of Trump, his lowest approval rating of his second term
Washington, DC – As Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran enters its eighth week, the economy is an absolute disaster for both Trump and Republicans. Experts are predicting months of pain at the pump, inflation has tripled, and everything from groceries to plane tickets is more expensive. But even before Donald Trump kickstarted a global energy crisis, Americans were already struggling to make ends meet thanks to his reckless energy policies at home. In recent weeks, customers in five states faced rate hikes as high as $22 per month and two clean energy companies laid off or canceled jobs for 635 workers.
On the campaign trail, Trump gathered Big Oil companies at Mar-a-Lago and promised to do their bidding if they donated $1 billion to his campaign. Last week, two of those companies, including a company founded and formerly run by Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright, announced massive profits in their quarterly earnings reports. This week’s rate increases also come just after the Trump administration–-for the sixth time— again proposed eliminating the $4 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), putting low-income Americans at greater risk of losing access to electricity and natural gas. While American families pinch pennies, billionaire fossil fuel executives are cashing in.
Michigan
- DTE Energy plans to file a $474.3 million electric rate increase request with state regulators the week of April 27, 2026. If approved, the average residential customer would pay an additional $9.39 per month starting late February 2027. This request comes two months after DTE had a rate hike approved, all while they pay zero federal taxes in 2025 and their CEOs cash in huge paychecks.
Maine
- Central Maine Power submitted a rate increase proposal to the Public Utilities Commission, which would increase its revenue by $189 million and increase household monthly electric costs by $18.
Texas
- The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved Oncor’s request to raise electricity rates, which is expected to raise residential rates by about $4.64 per month.
Kentucky
- State regulators approved East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s requested base-rate increase, which will generate an additional $63.7 million in revenue for the company and add nearly $5 to monthly utility bills.
Washington
- Northwest Natural, a gas utility servicing Southwest Washington, proposed a 19% rate hike for customers beginning in August 2026. If approved, households would pay an average of $12.96 more per month on their gas bills, with further rate increases in 2027 and 2028 adding a total of $22.22 per month to household gas bills.
New Jersey
- EEW American Offshore Structures and EEW AOS Paulsboro Urban Renewal, two subsidiaries of a German offshore wind turbine parts manufacturing company, filed for bankruptcy protection and faced eviction from its planned factory. The facility operated by the two companies was expected to create more than 500 jobs at full capacity. However, the company faced headwinds from political attacks on offshore wind and rising costs, leading offshore wind developers to cancel projects and, in turn, their contracts with EEW.
Multiple States