Betty McCollum: Republican bill on energy and water works against Minnesota interests

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Minnesotans are feeling the heat, literally. The Twin Cities have experienced 10 days over 90 degrees this summer, and wildfire smoke has already resulted in 18 air quality alerts, nearing the record of 22 days in 2023. This is not a fluke. It’s a sign of a worsening climate crisis that threatens our life, health, safety and economic security.

Instead of investing in solutions to this crisis, the Republican majority in Congress is advancing legislation that would raise energy costs for American households and businesses, make us less competitive and weaken our national security.

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee passed H.R. 4553, the fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. As the only Minnesotan on the Appropriations Committee, I voted against advancing this bill. Its cuts will harm Minnesota and our nation.

Our global competitors like China are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean-energy development, but Republicans are choosing to cut U.S. investments that create high-wage jobs, drive innovation and lower energy bills for Americans. Republicans’ bill slashes energy efficiency and renewable energy programs at the Department of Energy by $1.6 billion, a staggering 47% cut. For Minnesota, this cut means we’ll lose over $6.7 million in federal funding if Republicans’ Energy and Water bill becomes law.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Republicans on the Appropriations Committee voted for a 44% cut to the Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income households lower their utility bills by improving home energy efficiency. This program helps roughly 1,200 Minnesotans weatherize their homes each year, saving families about $372 annually on their energy bills.

It could get even worse for these families. President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Trump calls LIHEAP “unnecessary,” but for thousands of Minnesotans, it is a lifeline that helps to keep the heat on during our brutal winters.

As House Republicans’ Energy and Water bill increases Minnesotans’ energy costs, their funding cuts will have a chilling effect on clean-energy jobs — a sector that has been growing five times faster than Minnesota’s overall job growth. More than 62,000 Minnesotans work in clean energy, and more than 44,000 of them work in energy efficiency. More than 300 local contractors alone work on projects directly supported by the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Since taking office, Trump has been jeopardizing clean-energy jobs in Minnesota by terminating clean-energy incentives in his so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” canceling grants and illegally withholding funds from state, local and tribal governments. These actions are stalling clean-energy projects and eliminating high-wage jobs.

The Trump administration is also attacking workforce development for clean energy. In May, the Department of Labor shut down Job Corps, closing the doors of the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul. For 44 years, Job Corps provided job training, education and housing for thousands of low-income, at-risk youth, preparing Minnesota’s workforce to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, including jobs in renewable energy and efficiency.

We cannot afford to abandon these investments during a worsening climate crisis. American families are already struggling with high energy bills. But the need to develop our own homegrown clean and sustainable energy isn’t just a matter of economic security; it’s also about our national security.

We don’t have the luxury of ignoring the very real effects of climate change happening around us — especially when they’re affecting our lives and livelihoods and our national security. Future generations will pay the highest costs of Republicans’ failure to act.

As your representative, I will fight to defend these critical investments because Minnesotans deserve better. Our children and grandchildren deserve better.