ICYMI: Forbes: The Energy Election: 2026 Midterms Hold The Power Over Your Power Bill

From starting a war of choice in Iran to gutting clean energy supply across the country, Trump and Republicans are to blame for the energy affordability crisis 

71% of Americans say gasoline is unaffordable, and 57% say the same about home energy and utility costs

Washington, DC – Candidates across the country are preparing to make their closing arguments in the final weeks before Election Day, and skyrocketing energy costs are taking center stage. As prices at the pump break record after record and data center expansion — championed by Trump and rubber-stamped by congressional Republicans — continues to spike utility costs, Americans are desperate for relief. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its blockade against the clean, affordable energy that could be providing that relief. And instead of working to lower costs, vulnerable Republicans have been busy doing Trump’s bidding and voting again and again to make the energy affordability crisis even worse. Now, with 15 days until the midterms, they’re trying to run from their own votes. Unfortunately for them, the American people aren’t buying it. 

Forbes: The Energy Election: 2026 Midterms Hold The Power Over Your Power Bill

Less than three weeks before the midterms, Americans are paying some of the highest gas, diesel, and electricity prices they have seen, and energy has become a defining issue on the ballot. Energy is on the ballot this November: the candidates voters choose will decide what comes next and what it will cost. As energy demand continues to grow, much thanks to data center development, most of the country just endured one of the hottest summers on record, along with severe drought and wildfires, and forecasters warn that the strongest El Niño ever observed could bring more weather disasters this winter.

Federal Energy Policy Shifts

Over the last two years, Republicans have reshaped federal energy policy by prioritizing fossil fuel development and resisting clean energy development. Republicans have rescinded almost all clean energy incentives passed in the Inflation Reduction Act and significantly reduced federal funding for clean energy research and development, national labs, and commercialization programs.

The war in Iran has pushed oil prices up around the world, and drivers are paying record-high fuel prices. The AI boom has accelerated data center development just as fossil fuel emissions-driven climate change has caused record temperatures and extreme weather put additional strain on the grid, and many consumers are paying higher electricity costs as a result. Fuel efficiency standards and energy efficiency rules, which have saved consumers money on vehicles and appliances over the years, have been reversed…