Press Release: 7/31/2025
Warren, Markey, Merkley, Whitehouse Press Top Trump Officials on Rising Electricity Prices for Americans
Consumers face higher electricity prices than when Biden left office, despite Trump campaign promise to cut energy and electricity prices in half
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), joined by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), pressed Trump administration officials on rising electricity prices for Americans. Despite Donald Trump’s campaign promise to “cut the price of energy and electricity in half,” consumers are facing higher electricity prices than when President Biden left office.
“The Administration must reverse its path of increased energy prices and instead work to cut energy costs for American families,” wrote the lawmakers.
The lawmakers wrote to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., pressing for answers as to why President Trump has failed to lower energy prices and what the administration’s plan is to bring down those costs.
“We write to you – a broad swath of the cabinet – because the increase in energy costs is driven by a broad swath of policies across the Trump Administration,” wrote the lawmakers.
According to the most recent data from the Consumer Price Index, under the Trump administration, electricity prices are up nearly 5 percent from the start of the year and up by almost a full percentage point in June 2025. Prices are expected to climb even further, with the average electric bill in the U.S. during this year’s air conditioning season projected to hit record highs.
“At the same time, the Trump Administration is cutting programs that help families afford higher electricity costs and lower their energy usage, all while utility CEOs receive massive payouts,” wrote the lawmakers. “A combination of the Administration’s regulatory decisions, the impacts of tariffs, and the Administration’s reversal of key energy investments is driving up energy bills for Americans around the country.”
The lawmakers cited key examples of Trump administration actions which have exacerbated the energy cost crisis, including:
- The President’s “Big Beautiful Bill” makes cuts to existing clean energy and manufacturing tax credits that will lead to the estimated loss of 1.6 million jobs and elimination of $980 billion in GDP growth. The final law will result in an estimated $280 increase in average American household energy costs per year over the next decade.
- President Trump’s efforts to sell more gas overseas risk creating a domestic price surge due to draining domestic supplies.
- The Trump Administration is forcing states to keep defunct, unwanted, and unneeded coal plants open in several states, foisting tens of millions of dollars of new maintenance and retention costs onto consumers in 15 states.
- President Trump’s chaotic and poorly planned tariffs policy is increasing costs for building materials for transmission lines and electrical equipment, and “virtually every other segment of the supply chain,” imposing additional costs on consumers.
- The Administration has proposed entirely eliminating funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) after firing the entirety of the program’s staff, which provides $4 billion in assistance to approximately 6 million low-income families who rely on this funding to pay their utility bills.
- The Energy Department is in the process of rolling back energy efficiency and water conservation standards, which save households close to $600 annually on water and gas bills.
The lawmakers pressed for answers to better understand how the Administration plans to lower prices for consumers by August 11, 2025.