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NEW REPORT: Republicans Raked in $100 Million from Big Oil, Then Voted to Kill Clean Energy and Hike Utility Costs

Vulnerable Congressional Republicans Voted to Hike Energy Costs and Destroy Clean Energy Jobs In Their Home States
August 15, 2025

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Washington, D.C. – Climate Power’s new report, first published in the Guardian, shows that vulnerable GOP members of Congress raked in millions from the oil and gas industry shortly before voting to kill their home-state clean energy competition. Congressional Republicans took more than $105 million from Big Oil, then backed a Republican Rate Hike that’s driving up utility bills and threatening 111,900 home-state job losses for swing district House members. 

CAUGHT RED-HANDED: REPUBLICANS VOTE TO KILL CLEAN ENERGY INDUSTRIES AND RAISE UTILITY RATES AFTER $100 MILLION IN OIL CONTRIBUTIONS

15 Key Swing-District House Republicans Voted to Kill Their Major Home State Clean Energy Industries After Receiving $3 Million from the Oil Industry

While the Republican budget bill broke the Republicans’ promises to lower energy costs and protect Medicaid for working families, it was a massive list of promises kept to Trump and the Congressional GOP’s oil and gas executive donors. As has been widely reported, Trump brought dozens of executives to Mar-a-Lago, promising what he called a “deal” for them, where he would provide a “return on their investment,” asking them to raise $1 billion for his campaign. As president, he followed through, working to eliminate their clean energy and EV competition and to gut protections against oil industry pollution across the board, with his Super PAC raking in another $26.8 million from fossil fuels as he continuously pushed the bill to be more extreme.

But it wasn’t only Trump who was swimming in Big Oil campaign contributions. The Republicans in Congress who passed the legislation have collectively received more than $105,973,007 from the oil and gas industry. Many of them also voted to destroy their home state energy industries, while lavishing new tax breaks and loopholes on the fossil fuel industry. So why did they vote to kill manufacturing jobs in their home-state energy industries and raise utility rates on their own constituents while sending their constituents’ tax dollars to oil and gas executives?

The mystery isn’t hard to solve: these Republicans in Congress are caught red-handed taking massive donations from the oil and gas industry, and voting to give them billions and to destroy their competition from their own state’s clean energy industries. 15 key GOP House members from states with major renewable energy industries have taken a combined $3,323,511 in donations from the oil industry, risking 111,900 clean energy jobs in their states. 

Caught Red-Handed: Wind State Republicans

Colorado: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working Coloradans can expect rate hikes of $170/year by 2030, and 9,600 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

Iowa: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working Iowans can expect rate hikes of $100/year by 2030, and 6,300 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

Caught Red-Handed: Solar State Republicans

Arizona: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working Arizonans can expect rate hikes of $140/year by 2030, and 18,000 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

New Jersey: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working New Jerseyans can expect rate hikes of $180/year by 2030, and 10,000 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

Caught Red-Handed: Battery Belt Republicans

California: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working Californians can expect rate hikes of $200/year by 2030, and 46,000 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

Michigan: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working Michiganders can expect rate hikes of $160/year by 2030, and 17,000 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.

New York: While billionaire oil executives get richer, working New Yorkers can expect rate hikes of $140/year by 2030, and 15,000 fewer good-paying clean energy jobs.