Republicans in Congress just caved to Trump's bullying and passed the worst environmental bill in U.S. history.
This legislation provides trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires – they paid for Trump's election, bought access to him, and now they're cashing in at the expense of our families and future.
This is not what the majority of Americans wanted. These policies are widely unpopular across party lines, they will devastate both blue and red states, and yet Republicans decided to pass the bill anyway to appease Trump.
But despite the huge implications of this bill, much of the general public is not aware of what's in it or what changes are coming their way.
While we can no longer stop this legislation, it's essential that we all understand what they included, how it will affect our families, and why our voting decisions and continued advocacy are so important.
All Americans, regardless of political party, should be concerned about what just happened. We can't let Republicans get away with this. Will you share this blog with three friends, neighbors, or family members?
This is the most anti-environment, anti-job, and anti-American bill in history.
- It includes $1.2 trillion in cuts, primarily to Medicaid and food assistance — a change that could leave 3 million without food stamps and nearly 12 million more Americans uninsured by 2034, which will decimate our rural healthcare system. It also cuts school lunches, which are sometimes the only healthy meal that low-income children receive.
- It guts clean energy tax credits that were part of Biden's 2022 landmark climate law along with other clean energy investments. This will eliminate thousands of green jobs and raise household energy bills — increasing the average family's power bill by $110 next year and as much as $400 per year by 2035. In tandem, it mandates more onshore and offshore drilling, while also defunding, delaying, and weakening the Methane Emissions Reduction Program and the Waste Emissions Charge.
- It attacks environmental and disaster protection by dismantling NOAA's coastal resilience funding that helps protect people from climate-fueled storms. It expands drilling on public lands and in the Arctic and sells off our old-growth forests for timber.
- It includes massive giveaways to corporate polluters and $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to the very wealthiest Americans at the expense of working-class people.
We won't mince words – this bill is cruel. Policy is a reflection of values, and we are horrified by the values represented in this bill and by every legislator who voted for it.
Republicans cheered about taking away healthcare. They cheered about gutting clean energy programs that save our families money and protect our health. They cheered about giving huge tax breaks to a handful of billionaires.
We won't forget.
Here are some examples of how the bill will directly affect us:
- The tax credit to make it more affordable for our families to invest in rooftop solar and energy efficiency home improvements will end on December 31, 2025.
- This bill will increase the average family's power bill by $110 next year and as much as $400 per year by 2035 by stifling clean energy, which is the fastest-growing and cheapest source of electricity.
- The $7,500 in tax credits for families looking to buy a new electric vehicle or $4,000 for a previously owned electric vehicle will be eliminated after September 30, 2025.
- Almost $300 million in National Park Service funding for staff is rescinded, which will mean longer lines, less maintenance, fewer services, and less safe access to our nation's most treasured landscapes.
- Cut $646 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and significantly reduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors weather events. This will leave communities like those in Texas even more vulnerable to climate disasters.
- It will strip medical coverage for 12 million families over the next decade and food assistance benefits for 3 million adults and children.
- Continued targeting of immigrants by ballooning the budget of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the largest federal law enforcement agency in the history of the nation, with four times the budget of the FBI.
There are some silver linings.
Thanks to grassroots advocacy, We successfully fought to remove provisions that would have forced the sale of public lands, implemented a tax on wind and solar energy, and ended emissions standards for vehicles.
These are significant wins, and we should celebrate them. Even with these improvements, this is a terrible bill that fails the American people in every measure. And this is not what the vast majority of Americans support. These policies are widely unpopular across parties.
Trump and his allies in Congress were able to get to 50 votes in the Senate because of late night sweetheart deals. This is not how democracy is meant to function.
We must continue to advocate, even when we lose. Continuing to fight for our future is the only way we can build the movement we need to push back against these policies on both a national and local level, and hold the elected officials who support them accountable.
We're in this struggle together for the long run. We won't give up. Thank you for fighting with us!