New $8M August Recess Campaign: Energy Affordability Advocates Hit House Republicans For Voting to Raise Energy Costs

Washington, D.C. – Leading energy affordability advocacy organizations today announced a new $8M investment to ensure that House Republicans are held accountable for their votes to raise energy costs for families while giving a tax break to oil and gas billionaires. Campaign tactics include paid media, grassroots organizing, in-person events, digital activations, direct mail, and more.

While Members of Congress are home, Climate Power, the League of Conservation Voters, House Majority Forward, Climate Emergency Advocates, EDF Action, the NRDC Action Fund, and Climate Action Campaign are blanketing the local airwaves and taking to the streets, together covering at least 16 Congressional Districts where representatives voted for the Republican Rate Hike: AZ-01, AZ‑06, CA-22, CA-40, CO-08, IA-01, MI-07, NV-02, NJ-07, NY-17, OH-15, PA-07, PA-08, PA-10, TX-15, and WI-03.

“Month after month, Americans are opening higher and higher utility bills – we’re going to make sure they know Republicans voted to raise their costs to pad the pockets of billionaires,” said Lori Lodes, President, Climate Power. “These members’ votes to kill clean energy tax credits are creating an energy shortage, sending electricity costs through the roof, making us more dependent on foreign oil and closing down factories, all while polluting our air and water.”

“The Congressional Republicans who voted for the Big Ugly Bill broke their promises and are  increasing costs on everyone,” said Pete Maysmith, President of  the League of Conservation Voters. “Their constituents deserve to know why their utility bills are going up, which is why we are partnering with our state LCV affiliates to educate people about what the passage of the Big Ugly Bill means for their costs– from utilities, to healthcare, to groceries. At a time when costs are already high, we should be turning to affordable energy sources, like clean energy. Trump and Congressional Republicans must be held accountable and stop increasing our costs.” 

“House Republicans aren’t just failing to lower costs—they’re actively making life more expensive for American families,” said House Majority PAC President Mike Smith. “They handed billionaires a tax break and stuck their own constituents with the bill, all while cutting their health care and raising their electricity costs.”

“Republicans just voted to throw millions of people off of their healthcare and raise energy bills in their own districts—all to deliver handouts to billionaires. By killing clean energy tax credits, Republicans are risking American energy security, all while abandoning working-class families—hoping no one notices or remembers. We’ll make sure they do,” said Leah Qusba, President and CEO of Climate Emergency Advocates. 

David Kieve, president of EDF Action said, “EDF Action’s accountability efforts are focused on Members of Congress who never lifted a finger to lower costs for their constituents while delivering special interest carveouts for fossil fuels.  Scott Perry, Derrick Van Orden and Monica De La Cruz knew Trump’s budget bill was a bad deal for folks back home in their districts, and they voted for it anyway. We’re going to make sure everyone knows who’s to blame when the bill comes due.”

“The NRDC Action Fund is making sure people know which lawmakers voted to kill jobs and raise electric bills,” said Alexandra Adams, chief policy advocacy officer at the NRDC Action Fund. “We’re proud that our ads include union workers talking about the benefits of clean energy tax credits to their families and communities – real people who will suffer because of the votes of these members of congress.”

“Americans are getting pummeled by a triple-whammy of nonstop extreme weather, soaring energy bills, and dangerous pollution devastating their health,” said Rose Garr, the Climate Action Campaign’s senior director of government affairs. “Yet Republicans passed the most anti-environment bill ever, guaranteeing the climate crisis will worsen, jobs will disappear, and bills will keep climbing. They knew this bill would cause pain and cost lives, and voted for it anyway, choosing their big polluter cronies over people. We will make sure voters know exactly how little their lives matter to their elected representatives.”

Collectively, the groups have aired 20 ads on TV and digital so far during this recess, with dozens more to come throughout the month, and have at least 62 events planned across the districts. 

LCV, House Majority Forward, and Climate Power are running a $1.3 million digital and cable TV ad campaign across 11 Congressional Districts focused entirely on the costs constituents will pay for their representatives’ votes for the Republican Rate Hike. The ads urge viewers to tell their representatives to stop raising costs. LCV is also partnering with their state-affiliates across the country to run a $1 million campaign to ensure people know that House Republicans voted to increase their costs across the board. The NRDC Action Fund has launched a seven-figure accountability campaign with ads airing in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. EDF Action launched a $375,000 ad campaign targeting the Members of Congress who stood out as the most extreme, including Spanish-language TV and digital ads. Many groups have ongoing partnerships with Instagram and TikTok creators based in target Congressional Districts who will post energy cost focused content this month, like Verona. Climate Emergency Advocates’ $2 million ad buy and on-the-ground campaign ranges from digital advertising, out-of-home ads and billboards, creator marketing, creative generated from an in-house rapid response content studio, as well as in-District events.