Tax Day Takedown: Trump’s Affordability Crisis has Wiped Out Tax Savings for Working Families

Lansing, MI – As Tax Day approaches, Trump’s war with Iran, attacks on clean energy, and specifics of the tax bill he signed into law last year are making it nearly impossible for Michigan families to pay for necessities like gas and groceries, let alone the IRS. Inflation has tripled thanks to skyrocketing gas prices, and the war in Iran has already cost Americans more than $19 billion.

The newest Climate Power Energy Crisis Snapshot report highlights how Trump and the GOP’s policies are costing Michigan good jobs. GOP Congressmen Tom Barrett and Bill Huizenga have claimed families are better off because of their vote on the Republican tax bill last year, but it’s just not true. Any tax savings for working families have been completely wiped out by tariffs, $4 gas, skyrocketing utilities, expensive groceries, and unaffordable health insurance.

Today, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) was joined by State Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township);  Kevin Self, Strategy & Sustainability Lecturer at Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan; and East Lansing homeowner Ann Siegle, who used federal tax credits to install rooftop solar panels in 2023,on a press call to set the record straight.

“April 15 can be a challenge every year, but Trump and Congressional Republicans are making it nearly impossible for hardworking men and women to survive in this economy,” said Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI). “We should support efforts to create cleaner, cheaper energy so people can spend money on gas, groceries, and going out instead of going broke just trying to keep the lights on and a roof over their heads.”

“Republican lawmakers in D.C. and Lansing are dragging us backwards to please Trump and make a bunch of billionaires happy,” said State Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township), member of the Energy and Economic Competitiveness Committees. “We need to double down on adding more affordable renewables like solar and wind, not force dirty, expensive coal plants to stay open.”

“Since Trump took office, 22 clean energy projects have been delayed or canceled in Michigan. That’s taken more than 7,600 jobs out of the pipeline, and put more than a billion dollars’ worth of investments on the chopping block,” said Kevin Self, Strategy & Sustainability Lecturer at Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. “This is the cost we pay when folks like Tom Barrett, Bill Huizenga, and Mike Rogers march in lockstep behind a President whose policies are bad for Michigan. We need our representatives to stand up for the people and businesses who keep this state running, even when it means making hard choices.”

“Because I was able to take advantage of incentives for rooftop solar panels in 2023, I’m able to save some money on average utility bills around just $20 a month,” said East Lansing homeowner Ann Siegle. “It breaks my heart that my neighbors don’t have that same opportunity anymore thanks to Tom Barrett and Donald Trump.”

To watch a recording of the event, click here (Passcode: 0gXr7^Bj).

The GOP tax bill took a sledgehammer to dozens of clean energy projects, costing Michigan communities thousands of jobs, gutting support for EVs that would help alleviate the pain of skyrocketing gas prices, and eliminating resources for homeowners to install affordable clean energy that could protect them from outrageous utility rate hikes.

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