LCV Hosts Press Conference with U.S. Representatives McClellan, Horsford, Casten, and Levin and State Partners on Harmful Impacts of Trump’s Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. - Today, the League of Conservation Voters hosted a virtual press conference on the negative impacts of Trump's government shutdown on communities across the country with U.S. Representatives Jennifer McClellan, Steven Horsford, Sean Casten, and Mike Levin and state partners in the Conservation Voters Movement(CVM). The press conference called for bipartisan funding bills that help lower costs and protect our environment and outlined how Congressional Republicans are increasing costs for families, including utility costs, jeopardizing good paying jobs, and threatening programs that protect the health and safety of people and the planet.

WATCH: Full Recording of Presser Available Here

"Trump and Republicans need to stop gutting essential services that make life safer, healthier, and cheaper, and instead work together on bipartisan solutions to address the affordability crisis they've created," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the League of Conservation Voters. "People are facing skyrocketing costs across the board, from health care, to groceries, to energy bills with Trump and Republicans in complete control over the federal government. Yet instead of working with Democrats to make our lives better, they've spent this year unlawfully taking back billions of dollars from communities while giving handouts to billionaires."

"This president and Republicans who control the House and the Senate got elected promising to lower costs, and from day one they have done everything but," said Representative Jennifer McClellan. "They have gutted energy efficiency programs that help ensure that your energy costs stay low. The tariffs that have been put in place have caused everything from electric bills to groceries to go up. [Democrats] are fighting for the American people. We are fighting to lower your costs, including your energy costs, your healthcare costs, and to get our federal workers back to work as soon as possible."

"We're 13 hours into this Republican shutdown caused by Donald Trump and the capitulating Republicans in the House and the Senate. They're more focused on giving tax breaks to their billionaire friends than they are extending tax credits for renewable energy projects, including in my home state of Nevada," said Representative Steven Horsford. "While they're putting the interests of their billionaires first, we're putting the interests of the American people and the working people of America first. That includes making sure that we protect and advance a clean energy economy, one that actually addresses the critical needs. Now they want to defund some of the most important programs in the EPA and the Department of Energy that we worked to invest in and to advance, and we can't let that happen. So let's continue to do the work now that is necessary as we work to reopen this government, to make sure that we protect those investments, we protect those jobs, and we address the long-term needs of our climate crisis which is real and is growing every single day."

"The Trump administration says that it wants to expedite new energy facilities, but that ain't happening if there aren't people to process permits and they are also the people who do disaster clean up," said Representative Sean Casten."Layered on top of that, the National Flood Insurance program does not have any authorization to operate after yesterday. We now have no National Flood Insurance program if there is a hurricane and FEMA's disaster relief fund is virtually out of money. The real nightmare scenario right now is what happens if we have another Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Katrina or another East Palestine rail disaster-those disasters where you critically need public servants who are trained, who know how to manage disasters. Whether that's OSHA employees or the EPA employees or the Surface Transportation Board, those people were either already fired or have been furloughed. This did not have to happen, but it happened because Republicans decided to not negotiate and thought they could steamroll and just get their policy priorities to hurt every American."

"We've got a Republican party held hostage by a would-be authoritarian and the weakest speaker in history," said Representative Mike Levin. "That's why our environmental laws are at risk, that's why our entire framework that will protect the environment and protect the American people is at risk. All we're saying is stand up and fight for people's healthcare - and that's a fight worth having."

"In Nevada, utility bills have been going up and up over the last couple of years, and we have heard from many families who are having to make tough decisions about which bills to prioritize," said Audrey Peral, Program Director at Chispa Nevada."Now we are in the midst of a government shutdown and are concerned about how this will hurt our economy even more. Combined with the smart energy programs the White House has either cut or threatened to cut, programs that help low-income families pay their gas and electricity bills or move us to less expensive clean energy - like LIHEAP and Solar for All - we have already been hit hard, and we simply can't afford this. We firmly believe that under any administration, every family deserves access to clean air, clean energy, and a healthy environment."

"Trump and Congressional Republicans have made it clear that lowering costs is not in the cards for this budget and they are going to let the government shut down because of that," said Olivia Gries, Michigan LCV intern and graduate student at Western Michigan University."The Trump administration is forcing outdated and expensive coal plants to remain open while allowing the federal government to shut down. It's clear where Trump's priorities are focused. It's time for Trump and the Republican led Congress to do the job they were elected to do and come to a bipartisan solution to protect their constituents and our environment."