Trump Spends More Taxpayer Dollars to Take Energy Options Off the Grid as His War of Choice Spikes Energy Costs 

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

Trump has canceled or stalled enough clean energy to power more than 14 million homes as demand soars

Washington, DC – Donald Trump is spending $885 million in taxpayer dollars to stop two more offshore wind companies from bringing energy onto the grid as demand soars. The news comes after Trump already spent a billion taxpayer dollars earlier this year to stop TotalEnergies from building an offshore wind project that would have powered millions of homes and protected Americans from global oil shocks. As part of the deal, the energy companies have promised to invest in fossil fuels that will only serve to make Trump’s oil and gas donors even richer. 

Climate Power Senior Advisor Jesse Lee issued the following statement: “Trump is using our tax dollars to drive our utility bills higher. These projects would have added more affordable energy to the grid at a time when families are already getting crushed by high energy costs. Instead, Trump is blocking cheaper power and using taxpayer dollars to reward his Big Oil allies—who are already cashing in on rising oil prices during his war of choice in Iran. Once again, Trump is putting oil executives and personal grudges ahead of the American people.” 

Trump has waged an all-out war on clean energy, taking cheap, reliable energy options off the grid as demand skyrockets: 

• Donald Trump and Republicans have gutted clean energy projects across the country as data centers and AI send demand soaring, spiking household electricity costs by as much as 13%. 
• Trump and congressional Republicans’ budget bill canceled or stalled 365 clean energy projects, prevented $61.4 billion in investment, and put 179,829 jobs on the chopping block. 
• Clean energy is the least expensive and quickest power source to bring online, costing 30 to 60 percent less than new gas plants to produce the same amount of electricity.  
• Trump’s vendetta against wind began when he threw a temper tantrum because wind turbines looked “ugly” from his golf course in Scotland. 
• In March 2026, the U.S. generated more of its electricity from renewable energy than it did from gas for the first time ever, with 93% of all electricity capacity added in 2026 expected to come from solar, wind, and batteries.
• Solar and onshore wind farms typically take less than two years to build, while gas-fired power plants can take seven years and can require construction of additional pipelines, and nuclear takes 10 years.
• Trump’s attacks on clean energy have already taken nearly 25 GW of planned generation off the grid, and Trump’s clean energy cuts are anticipated to take another 340 GW. Trump’s crusade to block wind and solar power could nearly double the rate hikes and broader inflation from data center buildout. 
• 84% of Americans say their utility costs have gone up over the past year, even more than those who said the same about groceries and health care.
• Trump’s approval on energy has dropped 19 points—a historic low on what was supposed to be his strongest issue. Before the war in Iran, 50% said Trump was actively making energy prices worse (vs. only 31% better).