House Republicans Sell Out Constituents, Vote to Create American Energy Crisis by Repealing Clean Energy Investments and Jobs

Washington, D.C. — House Republicans passed reckless, party-line legislation that amounts to a wholesale repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act, which will put more than 400,000 new manufacturing jobs at risk, hike up energy bills, and threaten U.S. energy independence. Dozens of GOP members had previously called for clean energy tax credits to be protected, pointing to their vast benefits. In the end, these members chose loyalty to Trump and fear of national party backlash over lower costs and jobs for their constituents. Climate Power executive director Lori Lodes issued the following statement: 

“House Republicans just voted to create an American energy crisis. These same members have celebrated ribbon cuttings, touted new projects, and promised to protect the very investments they just voted to eliminate. This is a reckless betrayal of their constituents, done to appease Donald Trump and billionaire donors. 

“But this fight isn’t over. Senate Republicans have made it clear the House bill is unacceptable. And every single House member who voted to risk jobs in their districts, drive up costs, and threaten made-in-America energy will have to answer for that vote back home.”

Below is a sampling of House Republicans who just spurned clean energy districts: 

• No district has been a bigger IRA beneficiary than Rep. Mark Amodei’s NV-02, with $11.1 billion in clean energy investments creating nearly 15,000 new jobs.

• Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s AZ-06 “is experiencing a clean energy boom,” Politico recently noted, with EV maker “Lucid Motors quadrupl[ing] the size of its plant in Casa Grande, bringing thousands of additional jobs to his economically struggling district.”

• Rep. Mike Carey (OH-15) has seen $5.5 billion and 7,894 clean energy jobs flow to his district, including a $4.4 billion in an EV battery plant in Fayette County.

• Colorado Reps. Gabe Evans (CO-08) and Jeff Hurd (CO-03) – whose districts each count wind energy companies as major employers – had both warned that killing clean energy investments would harm their constituents.

• Rep. Miller-Meeks’ (IA-01) home state of Iowa gets 62% of its energy from renewables – with wind power accounting for 59%. Her district has seen over 1,000 jobs created from 5 clean energy projects. 
• Rep. John James (MI-10), whose home state of Michigan leads the nation in the number of new clean energy projects, creating more than 25,000 new jobs, argued earlier this year that “we must not neglect the sector-wide energy tax provisions that manufacturers and job creators rely on in my district and around the country.”