ICYMI: CNN: ‘Afraid to Get My Next Bill’: Americans Brace for Higher Costs to Cool Their Homes This Summer

Electricity prices have spiked by 16% on Trump’s watch as he repeatedly tries to eliminate a program that helps Americans with their energy bills 

Trump and Republicans in Congress have taken a sledgehammer to clean energy supply, canceling enough clean energy projects to power over 17 million homes 

Washington, DC – As experts officially declare that an El Niño has arrived and is expected to cause record heat across the country, it is becoming unaffordable for American families to keep their homes cool thanks to Trump and Republicans’ reckless energy policies. Trump and Republicans have gutted clean energy supply as demand soars, and electricity prices have spiked by 16% on his watch. 

The increase in summer cooling costs, which are expected to jump to nearly $800 this summer, comes as Trump has tried to eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for the sixth time. With inflation spiking at the fastest pace in three years due to Trump’s war of choice, LIHEAP is a critical lifeline for Americans who are struggling to pay their utility bills as costs continue to rise. Meanwhile, concerns about skyrocketing energy costs continue to be a political liability for sitting Republicans, with worries about energy costs tying housing as the second biggest affordability concern. 

CNN: ‘Afraid to get my next bill’: Americans brace for higher costs to cool their homes this summer

Before deciding to move out of his parents’ home last year, Kevin Martin carefully crafted a budget that would allow him to get an apartment with three roommates in nearby Tempe, Arizona, while he attended Mesa Community College. The accounting major made it work by holding down three part-time jobs and was even able to save as much as $200 a month.

But Martin, 19, couldn’t predict that Arizona would have an unusually warm spring that led to a big jump in monthly air conditioning costs.

Martin got an early taste of what many Americans will likely experience this summer – a steep increase in the cost of keeping cool.

Electricity bills are expected to jump an average of 10.5%, to $792, nationwide for June through September, according to the latest National Energy Assistance Directors Association projection. The outlook takes into account both higher electricity prices and greater air conditioning usage amid forecasts for above-average temperatures for much of the nation.

The increase adds to the financial squeeze that many Americans are feeling as annual inflation in May topped 4% for the first time in three years, pushed up by the surge in fuel and other costs in the wake of the Iran war. As of April, wages are no longer exceeding inflation.

Staying cool during the summer has been growing ever more expensive in recent years – up nearly 40% since 2020, according to the association…