Trump’s Opposition to Clean Energy Is Costing You Money

Until this year, America was set to embark on its largest investments in history toward clean and affordable energy and good-paying jobs. Congress included more than $350 billion in tax credits, appropriated grants and loans for domestic clean energy projects and manufacturing as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In 2021, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which also appropriated $60 billion to modernize our nation’s energy infrastructure.  

​​​The Trump administration has now tossed that progress out the window. 

​​​​​​​During the first days of the government shutdown, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would halt almost $8 billion in electrical grid upgrades and new spending on a range of clean energy technologies, from renewables to carbon capture.  

DOE is also ​​expected to cut tens of billions more in energy infrastructure projects in the coming weeks. This is in addition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cutting the Solar for All ​​program, which would have provided ​​billions of dollars in clean energy investments that help low-income communities reduce energy costs. Instead, it plans to invest millions in our nation’s oldest coal plants as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring back “​​beautiful” coal.  

The Trump administration’s efforts are both confounding and counterproductive. Ripping funds away from grid infrastructure, manufacturers, and energy producers will ​​delay reliable cheap energy for millions of Americans suffering from high energy prices and shut the U.S. out of a booming international clean energy market.  

Across the country, in both red states and blue states, public and private stakeholders alike have clamored for the clean energy funding appropriated in these bills. When I was a senior official at the ​​Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during President Joe Biden’s administration, ​​we found that most new clean energy IRA and BIL programs were heavily overprescribed. The Trump administration’s rescissions of appropriated and obligated funds are blocking these critical investments just as they are starting to flow into communities.  

While the potential climate benefits of the IRA and the BIL have received significant attention, the economic benefits expected to flow from these two laws have too often been buried in the broader climate battle between the political parties. Both laws promoted energy diversification and technology-neutral solutions. Implementing both laws promised lower energy costs, stronger economic growth, and a challenge to China’s dominance over global clean energy supply chains.

For instance, both the IRA and BIL greatly expanded the DOE’s ​​Loan Programs Office,  providing billions for loan guarantees to diverse clean technologies such as nuclear, microgrids, and natural gas pipelines. The IRA also created technology-neutral energy tax credits, which, for the first time, would have incentivized investments in emissions reductions rather than in specific technologies. In addition, the IRA created a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which authorized regional energy infrastructure banks to leverage private investments in low- and zero-emission energy technologies for capital-starved communities.   

Even technology-targeted efforts were focused on quickly bringing clean, cheap energy to market and giving U.S. manufacturers a leg-up in global markets. The IRA’s new EPA Solar for All program, for instance, provided​​ funds for states, Tribal governments, and local jurisdictions to support low-income solar projects, while the BIL’s Hydrogen Hubs created new economic development centers in clean hydrogen across the country. 

The Trump administration’s bias against clean energy technologies blinds it to economic reality. In a recent ​​interview with Breitbart, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright called investments in renewable energy, transmission line expansions, and battery technologies one of the “greatest malinvestments” in human history. Yet, global investments in these technologies are booming. According to ​​​​International Energy Agency (IEA)’s World Energy Investment report, approximately $2.2 trillion in global investments went toward renewables, nuclear, transmission, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency, and electrification. That​​ is a trillion dollars more than a decade ago and a trillion more than the year’s combined oil, gas, and coal investments. The most significant global clean energy investment in 2024 was in solar energy; at $450 billion, that’s double the global investments in coal.   

The largest global investor in both coal and solar is China. Republicans often point to Beijing’s plan to add 94.5 gigawatts of new coal capacity to justify doubling down on coal. But China’s coal investments are part of a broader strategy focused on diversification, stability, and economic opportunity. China has limited domestic natural gas resources, and ​its ​nuclear capacity is about 40 percent lower than U.S. generation. Along with population pressures, global markets, and political volatility in coal-rich Xinjiang, all of these factors shape China’s choices. 

There is still time for Congress and the administration to reverse course, but every day leaves the U.S. further behind. Unlike the Trump administration, China invests in all energy sources while modernizing its energy system. In addition to adding nuclear and coal generation capacity, China is making historic investments in wind, solar, battery storage, grid modernization, and electrification. According to a ​​2025 report by the International Society for Energy Transition Studies and Ember ​​​​​Energy Research (​EMBER), China spent $625 billion on clean energy in 2024 and more than ​​doubled its wind and solar generation capacity over three years to 1,408 gigawatts. Today, ​​hydro, wind, and solar energy comprise 30 percent of China’s energy generation, with more wind and solar than coal. The same ISETS/EMBER report found that China also tripled its energy storage capacity over the past three years, commissioning more battery storage in 2024 than the U.S. and Europe combined. It also ​​invested the equivalent of ​​$600 billion in grid modernization and electrification in 2024 alone. 

These Chinese clean energy investments carry obvious climate benefits. President Xi Jinping  recently announced that China would cut peak greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 percent in the next decade. That is despite Beijing’s ongoing coal investments, and at a time when most countries fail to meet their greenhouse gas emission targets. State support and larger production scale help Chinese manufacturers reduce costs, cut domestic energy prices, and strengthen their competitive advantage overseas.  

According to the Climate Leadership Council’s analysis of data from a 2024 IEA Energy Technology Perspectives report, Chinese exports of clean energy technologies to emerging markets increased 125 percent over three years, reaching $96 billion by 2023. In comparison, U.S. exports only reached $10 billion. Chinese global dominance is moreover growing, with China’s clean energy exports projected to surpass $340 billion by 2035—on par with 2024 oil export revenues generated by Saudi Arabia and the UAE combined. 
 
Every dollar withheld from modernizing our energy system is a gift to our economic rivals. Shelving Biden-era investments delays much-needed, cheap energy for American households and businesses. It’s time for Congress to intervene. Doing so will reassert U.S. leadership and grow our economy.