Shaheen Raises Concerns Over Trump Administration Energy Policies That Will Raise Prices, Threaten Jobs and Reduce Competitiveness
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to raise her concerns about President Trump’s harmful actions that will raise energy prices, threaten jobs and hurt our global economic competitiveness. The remarks came during consideration of a resolution Shaheen has cosponsored to terminate President Trump’s misguided national energy emergency, which has been used to bypass Congress to advance policies that benefit Big Oil at the expense of Granite Staters and working Americans. In her remarks, Shaheen shared the stories of Granite Staters and small businesses that will see their energy costs increase as a result of President Trump’s policies. You can view her remarks in full here.
Key Quotes from Senator Shaheen:
- “Lowering energy costs, creating good jobs, increasing America's economic competitiveness in the world—those [should] be things that we can all agree on. But if we give up our leadership on clean energy now, the People's Republic of China ... is going to be more than happy to fill the void for its own economic advantage.”
- “In the first 37 days, we've seen the Trump administration cut off funding for solar, wind and clean manufacturing projects that are cheaper and faster to build than fossil fuel infrastructure. We've seen him halt energy efficiency programs, and we know energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest way to deal with our energy needs.”
- “The tariffs that are set to go into effect ... they could mean about $150 to $250 more for the average family in New Hampshire who are using heating oil just to keep warm through the winter.”
- “President Trump's efforts to cancel promised funding for electric charging infrastructure in New Hampshire harms our travel and tourism sector, particularly in northern New Hampshire, where ski areas and other outdoor recreation drives our local economies. A recent study found that the state risks losing an estimated 1.4 billion in overall economic impact.”
Remarks as delivered can be found below:
I come to the floor today in support of Senate Joint Resolution 10, which would terminate the misguided national energy emergency that President Trump signed on his first day in office.
It has been 37 days since President Trump declared, for the first time in this nation's history, a national energy emergency.
This is an attempt to throw red meat to the base of the Republican party, and to seem like Donald Trump is the oil and gas president.
But there's no evidence to support that.
In fact, the evidence we have points in exactly the opposite direction.
This emergency was declared despite the fact that the United States is producing more oil than any other country ever in this nation's history.
And we've been doing that for the past seven years.
The emergency was declared despite the fact that the United States is in the midst of a clean energy boom and a manufacturing renaissance.
We generated 17% more electricity in 2023 than the high point of the first Trump Administration.
Clean energy jobs are growing at twice the rate of the economy overall.
And this emergency was declared despite the fact that as the Wall Street Journal headline noted after the election, quote, “Trump's oil and gas donors don't really want to drill, baby, drill,” End quote.
They are very happy to lock in demand for the long term. But increase supply and potentially undercut profits? Not so much.
So we find ourselves within an emergency declaration in search of an emergency.
But it's not without consequences.
President Trump has assumed vast power for the executive branch through this emergency designation.
He's encouraging the use of eminent domain that could literally allow the government to take your land away.
He's waving away key protections for clean water.
And he's suggesting that a timeline of just seven days is sufficient for public commitment—for public comment, excuse me—on projects that could cause irreparable harm to historic and cultural resources.
President Trump campaigned on, and I'm quoting here, “lowering the cost of everything,” and he promised “your energy bill within 12 months will be cut in half.”
Now, voters responded to those promises, and Americans do want to see lower energy costs.
I'm all for that.
I focused as governor on how we can address the high energy prices in New Hampshire.
We permitted two gas pipelines through the state, both gas coming from Canada, and we negotiated to deal with our largest utility company that lowered rates 16.5%.
So I'm all for lowering energy costs.
We absolutely should be talking about that.
But let's take a step back here and let's talk about what President Trump's energy policies actually are, and how they affect the American people.
In the first 37 days, we've seen the Trump administration cut off funding for solar, wind and clean manufacturing projects that are cheaper and faster to build than fossil fuel infrastructure.
We've seen him halt energy efficiency programs, and we know energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest way to deal with our energy needs.
He's prepared a 10% energy tax in the form of tariffs on heating oil, propane, gasoline and other energy we import from Canada.
And that hits New Hampshire really hard because of the energy sources we get from Canada—I talked about the two gas pipelines that come down from Canada, and because we have so many households that burn number two fuel oil to heat our homes and because it's cold in New Hampshire at this time of year.
So that hits us really hard.
He's fired more than a thousand workers at the Department of Energy, including those who are keeping state energy programs and weatherization up and running to respond to emergencies and to help folks like we have in New Hampshire stay warm this winter.
And tomorrow, what we expect is that Senate Republicans will roll back a commonsense fee on venting or flaring of methane, rather than capturing it for productive use.
And if that passes, and the president signs it, it will cost the taxpayers $2.3 billion over the next ten years, effectively lighting money on fire to save Big Oil a few bucks.
Now in New Hampshire, as in other states, President Trump's actions have sown chaos and uncertainty.
They're raising costs for families, for farmers, for small businesses, and for town budgets.
For example, the tariffs that are set to go into effect, and I understand that the president has now decided he's going to wait until April, but they could mean about $150 to $250 more for the average family in New Hampshire who are using heating oil just to keep warm through the winter.
President Trump's efforts to cancel promised funding for electric charging infrastructure in New Hampshire harms our travel and tourism sector, particularly in northern New Hampshire, where ski areas and other outdoor recreation drives our local economies.
A recent study found that the state risks losing an estimated 1.4 billion in overall economic impact, if we don't build up our charging infrastructure.
One small business owner in Barrington in the seacoast of New Hampshire told me that he has nearly $3 million in projects.
Those projects are on hold this year, including work with school districts, with the state and with other customers to staff install solar projects that provide long term taxpayer savings.
And they're on hold because of what President Trump has ordered.
Farms and local shops across rural areas of New Hampshire are nervous about receiving promised reimbursements for energy saving work through the Rural Energy for America program, the REAP program.
At least one business owner at Seacoast Power Equipment has been covering interest with the bank until his grant, which he has a signed commitment for, is actually paid out—And of course, this is affecting his bottom line.
And then we have Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, in the northern part of our state.
This is an award-winning small business that provides the best ice cream you've ever eaten.
They were gearing up to install solar panels using $15,000 in federal funds.
Now that project is on hold.
Many family-owned businesses, like Super Secret Ice Cream, have very tight margins, and this small investment of $15,000 would help Christina and Dan grow their business and lower the electric costs that they're paying to store their ice cream.
And then we have the town of Peterborough in the western part of New Hampshire.
They plan to use funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to enhance much needed workforce development, but of course, they've had to wait far too long for federal approvals.
And in rural towns like Berlin, in the northern part of our state, residents eagerly signed up for federally funded projects that will insulate and add solar arrays to their manufactured homes.
This is a real solution to their high utility bills, but these projects are now on hold because the contractors are uncertain that they're going to be paid.
Now, I could go on as I know my colleagues could, but since we have people waiting, I want to close with a point of agreement.
In his executive order, President Trump stated, and I quote, “we need a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy to drive our nation's manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and defense industries and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness.”
That makes sense to me.
I agree with that.
But unfortunately, that's about the only thing he said related to energy in the past 37 days that does make sense.
Lowering energy costs, creating good jobs, increasing America's economic competitiveness in the world—those ought to be things that we can all agree on.
But if we give up our leadership on clean energy now, the People's Republic of China, who President Trump claims is our greatest competitor—and I agree with him on that—
I just don't understand how the Trump administration policies are allowing us to be competitive.
But China is going to be more than happy to fill the void for its own economic advantage.
I think we should also agree that Americans deserve clean air, clean water, and the chance to have a say in what happens in their communities.
I want to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on these goals, and that work starts by ending this disastrous, misguided emergency declaration and by stopping the chaos.
So I hope my colleagues will join me in voting to restore Congress’s appropriate role in setting energy policies that benefit the American people by supporting this resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I yield the floor.
Shaheen has led efforts to oppose President Trump’s harmful and inflation-inducing tariff proposals. Last month, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to the White House urging him not to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China which are expected to cost the average American $1,200 per year.
Earlier this year, Shaheen introduced new legislation with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) to shield American businesses and consumers from rising prices imposed by tariffs on imported goods into the United States. The Senators’ legislation would keep costs down for imported goods, including energy, by limiting the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—which allows a President to immediately place unlimited tariffs after declaring a national emergency—while preserving IEEPA’s use for sanctions and other tools.
Shaheen has championed work to secure federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and to lower energy costs across New Hampshire. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding bills, Shaheen secured $366 million for weatherization efforts and $66 million for the State Energy Program, which work to bring down energy bills for families and communities. Shaheen was a key supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act and a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation that invest in energy efficiency, including funding for residential, municipal, industrial and federal entities to implement efficiency improvements and upgrades.
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