ICYMI: POLITICO: Utilities Sought $18B in Energy Rate Hikes So Far This Year, Report Says

Trump and congressional Republicans have taken enough energy off the grid to power more than 21 million homes

A Climate Power/Center for American Progress Action Fund report showed that American families have paid $213 more for their utility bills since Trump took office

Washington, DC – As heat waves are driving electricity bills through the roof, a new report shows that electricity and gas rate hikes are going to lead to even more astronomical utility bills going forward, with utility companies requesting $9.2 billion in just the second quarter. Instead of bringing affordable and scalable clean energy online, Trump is actually spending billions of taxpayer dollars to take energy options off the grid, squeezing supply as demand skyrockets. To make matters worse, he and Republicans in Congress gutted clean energy supply across the country with their budget bill, leaving an open field for his Big Oil donors  and American families to pay the price. 

The rate hikes come as congressional Republicans scramble to do damage control on their disastrous economic agenda. Worries about energy costs are up by 10 percentage points since last year, the highest level since 2008, and tie housing as the second biggest affordability concern. 

POLITICO: Utilities sought $18B in energy rate hikes so far this year, report says

Electric and gas utilities across the country have requested a total $18.6 billion in rate increases from state regulators since the start of this year, according to a new report released Tuesday, the latest sign of rising energy inflationary pressure on homeowners and business.

The report from national consumer education nonprofit PowerLines found that utilities requested $9.2 billion in rate increases that would affect more than 56 million U.S. customers in just the second quarter of 2026 — up from last year’s record in that quarter of $7.3 billion.

The findings land as energy affordability has emerged as a major economic and political issue ahead of the midterm elections, particularly as electricity demand from data centers and other large consumers grows. Customers across the U.S. have faced increases in their utility bills that have far outpaced overall inflation: Recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed U.S. consumer electricity prices rose 5.9 percent over the 12 months ending in May…