SEEC Statement on Trump’s State of the Union
Washington, D.C. – The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union (SOTU) address, during which the President doubled down on failed policies that have driven up prices and pushed the American dream even further out of reach for hardworking Americans. Ahead of President Trump’s SOTU address, SEEC Co-Chair Rep. Paul Tonko, along with 52 of his colleagues, sent a letter to President Trump outlining how his administration has directly contributed to rising costs and identified the immediate actions the Trump administration could take to lower energy costs and provide utility bill relief to Americans.
“America watched as Donald Trump delivered one excuse after another, blaming anyone but himself for the disastrous policies that are making life in America so unbearably expensive. Donald Trump is the President of the United States. His party controls both chambers of Congress. There should be no doubt who is responsible for America’s current affordability crisis.
“In just one year, Trump’s policies have already driven up household electric bills by 13% and caused natural gas prices to skyrocket by 50%. His administration has gleefully destroyed more than 165,000 clean energy jobs, costing $61 billion in investments to the U.S. economy and cancelling projects that would have powered 13 million homes across America. Despite a third of American families already struggling to pay their energy bills, Trump and Congressional Republicans eliminated the cost-saving tax credits for affordable energy projects and home energy efficiency upgrades that would have lowered utility bills and provided direct financial relief for American families.
“This address was a prime example of how Donald Trump uses his presidency: to wage war on the truth and embrace science denialism as the law of the land, just to sacrifice working Americans at the corrupt altar of his polluting billionaire friends. It’s not enough that because of their policies we’re releasing more carbon, more mercury, more arsenic, and a slew of other toxics into our air, Donald Trump and his Republicans will also continue to gaslight disaster-stricken communities that the climate crisis doesn’t pose a danger to public health and wellbeing.
“Life is more expensive in America thanks to Trump and his Congressional yes-men. An aimless speech full of spineless lies, deflections, and excuses isn’t leadership – and despite the speaker’s delusions, it won’t bring costs down. It is far past time for President Trump to finally wake up, take ownership, and stop blaming others for his reckless policies.”