Cortez Masto Calls Out Trump’s Harmful Energy Policies that are Raising Americans’ Costs

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FTP for TV stations of her remarks is available here.

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called out the Trump Administration's harmful energy policies that are killing American jobs, jacking up energy prices, and hurting our growing solar and wind industries. Cortez Masto took to the Senate floor to force a vote on her Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) recently submitted rule that makes it harder for wind and solar energy companies to claim vital tax credits.

As a result of the Republican tax law, in order to claim the clean electricity production and investment tax credits, solar and wind companies must begin construction on projects by July 4, 2026. Previous guidance for what was considered 'beginning of construction' included physical work on or off the job site as well as any project in which 5 percent of the total cost had already been spent. Proposed less than a year before the July 4 deadline, the new IRS rule largely revokes the longstanding 5 percent standard. This Trump administration rule makes it much harder for projects to benefit from critical solar and wind tax credits, raising the cost of building long-needed clean energy infrastructure. Unfortunately, Republicans blocked the Senator's resolution to reverse this misguided rule.

Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery:

Mr. President, I don't have to stand here and tell Nevadans that energy prices are high. They see it every day at the gas pump and on their electricity bill statements.

In the United States, the average residential energy bill in 2025 was about 30% higher than it was in 2021.

But the Trump administration seems insistent on making it even harder for working families to afford their energy bills.

Overseas, President Trump's war with Iran is causing oil prices to shoot through the roof, resulting in high costs for Americans at the gas pump. Add to that, this administration's war on clean energy.

Specifically, President Trump's IRS recently submitted a rule that makes it harder for wind and solar energy companies to claim vital tax credits.

This rule makes it more expensive to build America's clean energy infrastructure, makes it harder for the United States to meet the increased demand for electricity, and will lead to higher energy prices for working families.

But the Senate has the power to do something about this misguided tax policy. That's why today, I'm leading an effort with my colleagues to pass my Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn this damaging rule.

The clean energy industry is producing some of the fastest growing and most cost-effective new power across the world. We need industries like solar and wind that help us meet growing power demand, create jobs, and bring down energy costs for American families.

It's obvious we should be embracing clean energy and investing in it.

But instead, we've seen President Trump do just the opposite by passing regulations that are killing clean energy jobs in America.

We know the President's tax law, the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill", gives tax breaks to President Trump's wealthiest friends at the expense of hardworking Americans.

It's blowing up our national debt by $4 trillion, cutting $1 trillion from Medicaid, and kicking an estimated 16 million Americans off their health care.

What people may not know is that it also decreased incentives for solar and wind companies that are helping keep energy prices down for hardworking American families.

While the Inflation Reduction Act, that my Democratic colleagues and I passed, expanded tax credits for clean energy projects, President Trump gutted them. That alone is estimated to increase electricity prices by up to 18%.

The President's tax bill shortened the timeline for when solar and wind companies can claim these clean energy tax credits, in order to phase them out.

If these companies want to claim the clean energy production and clean electricity investment tax credits, they must begin construction on their projects by July 4, 2026. If they begin construction after that date, they don't get a tax credit under this law.

Here's where the problem gets worse. To pass his tax bill out of the House of Representatives, Trump made a deal with the far-right Republicans in the House to use the IRS to further diminish solar and wind projects.

Last August, the IRS proposed a new rule to completely change an established standard for what it means to "begin construction" on a solar or wind project.

Since 2013, the standard for what was considered "beginning of construction" included one of the following: 1) continuous physical work on or off the job site, or 2) a project in which 5% of the total cost has been spent, referred to as the "5% safe harbor".

The new IRS rule revokes the longstanding 5% safe harbor.

This rule is just for solar and wind, not for any other energy projects. That's going to have a huge impact in Nevada.

Solar and wind projects were already scrambling to stay eligible for tax credits they rely on after Trump's tax bill passed.

With the new IRS rule, companies will have to delay the project or halt it entirely.

This harmful new rule will potentially eliminate thousands of jobs, it'll drive up electricity bills for American families, and it'll risk power for millions of homes in Nevada and across the country.

It's clear this action is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to strangle the types of energy the President personally dislikes.

Demand for electricity is higher than it's ever been, and we need these solar and wind projects to help us meet it.

The IRS must revoke this rule, and if they won't, Congress must do it for them. I hope my colleagues will join me in passing this resolution.

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