Senate Budget Bill Would Raise Latino Energy Costs and Worsen Public Health

The Republican Senate Finance Committee Bill would raise household energy prices by an average of $400 a year and would drastically worsen pollution

WASHINGTON — Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee released the latest version of their budget reconciliation bill—one that would raise household energy costs, increase pollution, and eliminate thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs. The proposal mirrors some of the heaviest cuts in the House version and is expected to increase household energy costs by as much as $400 per year in the next decade. For Latino families, the burden could be greater. Latino households already spend, on average, 20% more of their income on energy than white households, and 40%  report struggling to afford their electricity bills. 

In addition to raising costs, the bill would worsen pollution from vehicles and fossil fuels while stripping away grants that help reduce pollution in overburdened communities. These cuts would hit disadvantaged and frontline communities hardest, deepening existing environmental injustices. The legislation also undermines the nation’s clean energy future by jeopardizing more than 90,000 manufacturing jobs—and putting an additional 400,000 jobs at risk.

Antonieta Cádiz, Executive Director for Climate Power En Acción, released the following statement in response:

“Senate Republicans took a dangerous step toward a future where families face higher energy bills and live in a more polluted America—all to fund billions in tax breaks for the wealthy. The programs targeted in this bill have delivered real benefits for the Latino community, supporting clean air, economic opportunity, and public health. Gutting these investments is an insult to the contributions and threatens the well-being of the communities that have suffered the most from toxic pollution. Republicans must listen to their constituents and put the needs of the people above the greed of the wealthy elite.”