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Huffman Joins Over 160 Democrats to Demand DOE Reinstate Affordable Energy Projects Cancelled by Trump

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

October 07, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) joined House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chairs, Representatives Mike Levin (CA-49) and Sean Casten (IL-06), to lead 162 House Democrats in a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright. In their letter, the lawmakers condemned the termination of $8 billion of projects that were set to lower electricity costs for Americans and increase grid reliability and further demanded that DOE immediately reinstate the projects.

“The projects that the Department of Energy (DOE) has unilaterally decided to cancel were driving down costs for all our constituents—regardless of their political affiliation,” the lawmakers wrote. “Household electric bills have already increased 10% nationally since January 2025 and are poised to spike even further. This Administration’s reckless energy policy and award terminations, designed to stifle the development of cheap, clean energy and prop up more expensive dirty energy, will only further increase the cost burden for families to keep the lights on.”

The letter can be found here.

Background

On October 2, 2025, DOE announced it would terminate 321 financial awards that support 223 projects across 136 Congressional districts, including 108 represented by Democrats and 28 represented by Republicans. The terminated projects, accounting for approximately $8 billion, were intended to lower energy costs for consumers, improve grid reliability, create jobs, and strengthen the United States’ global leadership in energy innovation.

A recent report found that Americans in at least 41 states and Washington, D.C. have seen increased electricity and natural gas costs under the Trump administration. These terminations are the latest action in the Trump administration’s war on clean, affordable energy.

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Bilirakis Condemns Hamas Delays, Calls for Immediate Release of Hostages on Second Anniversary of October 7 Attacks

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12)

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance and of the International Religious Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives, issued the following statement marking the second anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel:

“It is unconscionable that Hamas continues to delay progress toward peace by refusing to accept the Trump-negotiated peace plan. The immediate release of all hostages is essential for any meaningful path forward.  On this solemn anniversary, we stand in solidarity with the people of Israel. We pray for the safe return of the hostages, for strength and healing for their families, and we honor the memory of those whose lives were tragically taken in this horrific and unprovoked act of terror.”

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Estes Joins the John Whitmer Show

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas)

U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) joined the John Whitmer Show to discuss the Democrat-induced government shutdown and his work to preserve and protect Social Security as Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee. Listen on YouTube and Rumble. 

On House Republicans funding the government and what the appropriations process should look like:

“We did our job several weeks ago, we –the House Republicans – voted to fund the government. [We] funded it till November 21st … The problem stems back to we haven’t been doing regular order for a long time. 

“There’s 12 appropriation bills that fund the different departments in the government and … the fiscal year runs from October 1st to September 30th and it’s been since 1997 since all 12 of those have been done, completed, signed into law by September 30th. 

“The House Appropriation Committee has passed all 12 out of the Appropriations Committee, but unfortunately, the clock ran out on September 30, with all the other things we’ve been working on with DOGE and with the One Big, Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cuts,  and other things, appropriations just didn’t get done in time.

“We’ve passed some of them out of the house. What the Speaker proposed and what we voted on several weeks ago was, ‘Let’s keep funding the government at the current levels until November 21st, allow the appropriations process to work out, pass it through the House, pass it through the Senate, and whatever conference committee work gets done by passing those provisions.’ And the Democrats said, ‘No, we’re not going to do that.’ … Even though they voted for these exact same funding levels in the appropriations last spring.”

On Democrats refusing to vote for the same funding bill they voted for 13 times during the Biden administration:

“It’s just a continuing resolution, which basically means you spend at the current levels. You don’t start new programs, you don’t change or improve programs or redirect that. It’s just keeping the government open, keeping it funded so that we can continue to pay our military, continue to pay our Customs and Border Patrol agents, continue to pay the TSA agents at the airport and air traffic controllers, all the things that a great nation has and should have. 

“The Democrats came back with an irrational proposal that says, ‘Well, just to fund it ‘til November 21st, we need to spend an extra 1.5 trillion dollars and do things like … give free health care to illegal aliens, and take money away from rural hospitals.’ I mean, that’s what they’re proposing to do in order to fund the government until November 21st.”

On Democrats’ posturing to control the media narrative:

“They’re hoping to get the media on their side, which they have. I mean, the Democrat media is kind of redundant … and being able to talk about this message and make sure that there’s enough angst out there. 

“The facts aren’t on their side. I mean, Speaker Johnson pointed out on page 57 [of the government funding bill], ‘Here’s right where you said you’re not going to fund the government for every operation unless you give free health care to illegal aliens.’”

On continued government payments during the Schumer Shutdown:

“This is really focused on the discretionary spending, which is about 25% of the total spending of the government. So many other things are continuing to happen. 

“We’re still sending out Social Security checks, still making Medicare and Medicaid payments,  because those are … sometimes called mandatory programs or sometimes called entitlements. I call them automatic programs because they’re set in law to happen based on the provisions that somebody’s in, whether it’s income or whether they’ve paid into Social Security or Medicare. But it gets back to the basics of the responsibility is to fund the government and make sure that we defend the country. Those are the two main responsibilities of the federal government.”

On Democrats choosing to continue receiving their salaries during the shutdown they caused:

“Yeah, it really is a bad thought process that [Senator Ruben Gallego]’s going through from the standpoint of saying he’s voting to shut down the government, just like all but one House Democrat voted to shut down the government, including Kansas Democrat, only Democrat, Sharice Davids. 

“[Sharice Davids] voted to shut down the government. She voted not to fund the government, which in effect shut us down. So all of these people, all the military folks, all of the Customs and Border Patrol agents, all the air traffic controllers and TSA agents are not getting paid, but you have this senator who’s said the quiet thing out loud. 

“The Democrats still want to get paid. Even though their staff, their own staff’s not going to get paid. But for Senator Gallego to say that he wants to still get his paycheck regardless of what his staff’s getting paid or the responsibilities he has to oversee the government. That’s just irresponsible, particularly when he voted against funding the government.”

On Democrat hypocrisy of shutting down the government:

“I think this is a political position they’re taking and it’s as you said, the position they take depends on what politics and what political angle they want to play. When I pulled up, I was looking at some pictures of my phone from 2018, the last time we really had a Schumer Shutdown, and had a big picture of a sign out there of … let’s stop the Schumer Shutdown and here we go again having another Schumer Shutdown just because the Democrats don’t want to fund the government. 

“They don’t want to step up and say, ‘Okay, we know we need to negotiate and have appropriation bills passed to fund the government,’ but instead of actually doing that or instead of allowing time to finish that work between the House and the Senate, they’re saying, ‘Well, let’s shut the government down’ so that they can inflict pain on the American people.”

On predicting how long the Democrats will keep the government shut down:

“Well, it’s really in the Democrats’ court. I mean, they have backed themselves into a corner by saying they’re not going to fund the government unless they spend this extra one and a half trillion dollars, and it’s just irrational from that standpoint.

“So I’d like to think that they will have thought through this over the weekend, now that we’ve been shut down for almost a week, and look at an approach of saying, ‘Okay, so let’s open up the government. Let’s continue the discussions.’ 

“They still get input on the appropriation process. I mean, it’s still going to take 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster to pass a bipartisan agreement on appropriations for the next fiscal year.”

On Congressman Estes’ concerns for Social Security:

“I chose to take the role of Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, which is part of one of our subcommittees on Ways and Means. It’s been in place [for] 90 years. Ninety years ago was when the law was passed to implement Social Security … When it was put in place, average life expectancy was 63. And so it was set up to say if you’ve lived beyond that and you get to 65, then the program that you pay into, the insurance program that you pay into as a worker, you get a little assistance back from the credit that you’ve earned in doing that work. It was set up there as to help out with … reducing the poverty level in the senior citizens and helping them with the end of their life, for those folks that actually have lived longer than the average life expectancy. 

“The average lifespan at birth is about 74. The average lifespan for somebody that reaches age 65 is about 84. And so, we need to look at some of those things about how do we adjust that? We actually have fewer workers now, partly because of technology, but we have fewer workers per retiree. So, we’ve got to get in and make those hard decisions … 

“In 1983 they made some changes so that the baby boomers, when they were working, built up the trust fund so that it would be there when the baby boomers were retiring. Well, now we’re in the midst of that retirement of the baby boomers. We’re seeing that fund’s going to run out in 2032. We’ve got to address that. We’ve got to get serious. We’ve got to be adults in the room and say, ‘This is a program that has worked and we want to make sure that it continues to work for the next 90 years.’”

On addressing the insolvency issue of Social Security:

“You can’t ask a millennial or a Gen Z or Gen X to think they’re going to get anything out of Social Security. And the problem is that the trust fund only gets so much money based on what’s put in by workers. So when we have fewer workers per retiree, in 2032, it’s not like there’ll be zero dollars. It’ll be about 77-76 cents on the dollar. So people that are currently getting it will get a haircut and the people that aren’t getting it will get less than what they expected. So we’ve got to like I said, we’ve got to be adults. We’ve got to address this. The sooner we address it, the easier it’ll be to solve.”

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Pressley Marks Two-Year Anniversary of Horrific October 7th Attack

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Pressley Has Consistently Centered the Humanity of Those Impacted and Called for Peace, a Surge in Aid, and a Ceasefire to Save Lives

BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley issued the following statement marking the two-year anniversary of the horrific October 7th attack by Hamas, and the Israeli military’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. Since the onset of this crisis, Congresswoman Pressley has consistently centered the humanity of those impacted—Israeli, Palestinian, and American—and called for peace, a surge in humanitarian aid, and a ceasefire in Gaza to save lives.

“The October 7th attack carried out by Hamas was horrific and devastating. Elders, babies, parents, and loved ones were senselessly murdered. 1,200 people were killed, and 251 souls were taken hostage, among them Americans, Israelis, grandparents, toddlers, and peace activists. The grief of these losses runs deep in the Massachusetts 7th and around the world.

“In the two years since the October 7 attack, I have sat beside the family members of hostages and those who lost loved ones that day. Their stories have stayed with me. Surviving family members have spoken of our shared humanity. The hostage families have sparked a movement calling for peace, joined by a multi-generational, multi-racial coalition of people of every faith and every corner of the globe.

“Today in Gaza, we are witnessing a genocide, and we must continue to call for peace. Innocent civilians are being denied food, water, and medical care. Our children will ask what we did in this moment, and the only acceptable answer remains: everything we could to save lives.

“I remain committed to the safety and survival of everyone impacted by these atrocities. I send my deepest condolences to every family who lost a loved one in the violent October 7th attack and to every family who has lost a loved one in the violence perpetrated in Gaza. Grief lasts as long as love does. Your loved ones mattered deeply, and they will not be forgotten.”

In August, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) led 101 of their colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to use its full power and authority to demand that Israeli government immediately facilitate a massive surge in all humanitarian aid, and in particular infant formula, into Gaza to address the crisis of starvation. After receiving no response and no action from Secretary Marco Rubio, Reps. Pressley and Pettersen condemned his silence and renewed their call for an immediate surge in infant formula and humanitarian aid.

Last month, Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Delia Ramírez (IL-03), actors Cynthia Nixon and Morgan Spector, Mahmoud Khalil, Dr. Adil Husain, Congressional colleagues, and advocates to call for the passage of H.R. 3565, The Block the Bombs Act, to save lives.

Rep Pressley has consistently called for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza to save the lives of civilians, hostages, Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans.

In May 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with and Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16)  and Grace Meng (NY-06), urged President Biden to use all applicable executive authorities to end the baby formula shortage. In May 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03), Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-05) and the Massachusetts delegation, sent a letter to Abbott Laboratories Chairman and CEO Robert Ford requesting urgent information on the company’s plans to replenish its Similac baby formula in Massachusetts.

Since the horrific October 7th attack, Congresswoman Pressley has consistently and stridently called for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and surge humanitarian aid to Gaza. Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she called for urgent de-escalation in the region and renewed her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel to prevent a broader regional war.  Rep. Pressley introduced a pair of amendments to increase funding to global humanitarian assistance and place a one-year moratorium on the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli military.

  • Rep. Pressley joined Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and their colleagues on a resolution condemning Hamas’ brutal attack and hostage-taking, and demanding Hamas immediately release all hostages.
  • Rep. Pressley joined Reps. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), James P. McGovern (MA-02), and 50 colleagues on a letter condemning the terrorist attacks by Hamas on the people of Israel, calling for Israeli military operations to follow the rules of international humanitarian law, and continuing to work toward peace in the region.
  • Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues in announcing a resolution urging the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, to send humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible. She later joined her colleagues and a multi-faith, multiracial coalition of faith leaders and organizers for a prayer and press conference to renew their calls for a ceasefire. Rep. Pressley also joined dozens of rabbis and Members of Congress for a press conference to renew calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • Instead of attending Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress, Rep. Pressley spent the day centering people directly impacted by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza
  • Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she condemned antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate on college campuses.
  • Rep. Pressley joined a coalition of nearly 100 interfaith clergy and faith leaders on a joint statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley joined Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and nearly 150 colleagues in urging the State Department to use all tools at its disposal help get Americans out of Israel and back home to the United States. She applauded the State Department for heeding her calls on October 12, 2023 and continues to press for the urgent evacuation of Americans in Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement following the safe evacuation of Massachusetts constituents Wafaa and Abood Okal and their one-year-old Yousef from Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley and Rep. Jamie Raskin led a group of 60 House lawmakers in urging the State Department to affirm the United States’ strong opposition to the forced and permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and to support an increase in humanitarian aid to the region.
  • Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Betty McCollum (MN-4) and 20 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden, asking him to support a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza to protect the one million children living there.
  • Rep. Pressley joined a coalition of interfaith clergy and faith leaders for a vigil to mourn the tens of thousands of Palestinians, Israelis, and innocent civilians killed since October 7th, and to renew calls for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and deliver humanitarian aid to the region.
  • Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues at a press conference to condemn the Israeli government’s pending invasion of Rafah and continued her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley joined her colleagues in calling for full funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide urgent humanitarian relief to Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Joaquín Castro, Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky and 33 House Democrats to President Biden urging him to prevent an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah.
  • Rep. Pressley, amid heightened tensions in the region, delivered a floor speech in which she called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East and renewed her calls for a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent a broader regional war.
  • Rep. Pressley filed a pair of amendments to increase funding to global humanitarian assistance and place a one-year moratorium on the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli military. The amendments were not adopted in the final legislation. 
  • Rep. Pressley voted against HR 8034 to send more offensive weapons and funding to the Israeli military, citing the Israeli military’s callous disregard for human life in Gaza and significant human rights violations.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the peaceful student protests taking place in Massachusetts and across the country.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement applauding the Boston City Council for passing a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • Rep. Pressley joined Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and 54 additional lawmakers in calling on the Biden Administration to use all tools possible to dissuade the Israeli government from moving forward with an offensive invasion into Rafah.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement in response to the escalating situation in the Middle East.
  • Rep. Pressley joined impacted families, faith leaders, and advocates to observe the anniversary of the horrific October 7, 2023 attack and commemorate the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas, the hostages killed and those still kidnapped, and the over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza killed by the Israeli military over the past year.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the horrific October 7th attack.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement urging the Senate to support Senator Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval that would block the sale of offensive arms to the Israeli government.
  • Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the ceasefire-hostage deal reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.
  • Rep. Pressley is a co-sponsor of the Block the Bombs Act, which would withhold the transfer of offensive weapons to the Israeli government and demand the Israeli military’s compliance with U.S. and international law.

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Congressman Brad Sherman Marks Two-Year Anniversary of October 7th Attack Against Israel

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32), Co-Chair of the House Israel Allies Caucus and senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement marking two years since Hamas’s October 7th, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel:

“Two years ago today, Hamas terrorists launched a barbaric and unprovoked attack that killed more than 1,200 innocent men, women, and children in Israel. It was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust and a sobering reminder that Israel is surrounded by violent terrorist organizations that seek its destruction.

We continue to mourn those murdered and pray for the safe return of all hostages still held in Gaza. The United States must remain steadfast in supporting Israel’s right to defend its citizens and dismantle Hamas so that their threats of “repeating October 7th until Israel is destroyed” can never become a reality.

As Co-Chair of the House Israel Allies Caucus, I have worked to strengthen the U.S.-Israel defense relationship, sanction Hamas as well as its allies and sponsors, and bring home every last hostage. Congress must continue to provide the resources Israel needs to defend itself, while also supporting humanitarian efforts that protect innocent civilians caught in the conflict. Now more than ever, American leadership is needed to chart a path forward that brings greater security for both Israel and Gaza by ending Hamas’s destructive rule, bringing home the hostages and finally establishing legitimate, Arab-led governance in Gaza that will end terrorist rule of the enclave. 

The U.S.–Israel partnership is rooted in shared democratic values and a common determination to confront terror and preserve peace. On this solemn anniversary, we reaffirm that commitment — today, tomorrow, and always.”

Since the 2023 attack, Congressman Sherman has led and co-sponsored multiple measures to support Israel’s security and condemn Hamas’s atrocities, including legislation to sanction those responsible for the October 7 massacre, strengthen the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile-defense systems, and counter the flow of Iranian funds to terrorist proxies.

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Reps. Mike Levin & Sean Casten Lead 163 House Democrats to Demand DOE Reinstate Canceled Projects

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

October 07, 2025

Washington, D.C.—Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Sean Casten (IL-06), co-chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force, today led 163 House Democrats in a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright condemning the termination of $8 billion for projects that were set to lower electricity costs for Americans and increase grid reliability. The lawmakers further demanded that DOE immediately reinstate the projects.

“The projects that the Department of Energy (DOE) has unilaterally decided to cancel were driving down costs for all our constituents—regardless of their political affiliation,” the lawmakers wrote. “Household electric bills have already increased 10% nationally since January 2025 and are poised to spike even further. This Administration’s reckless energy policy and award terminations, designed to stifle the development of cheap, clean energy and prop up more expensive dirty energy, will only further increase the cost burden for families to keep the lights on.”

On October 2nd, DOE announced it would terminate 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects, in 136 Congressional districts, including 108 represented by Democrats and 28 represented by Republicans, accounting for approximately $8 billion. Three projects were canceled in California’s 49th Congressional District, including $1.2 billion statewide for ARCHES hydrogen production hubs, $8.8 million for Smartville electric battery recycler, and $2 million for GKN Hydrogen Corp. California lost more than $3.3 billion in funding as a result of these cancellations. The terminated projects were intended to lower energy costs for consumers, improve grid reliability, create jobs, and strengthen the United States’ global leadership in energy innovation.

A recent report found that Americans in at least 41 states and Washington, D.C., have seen increased electricity and natural gas costs under the Trump Administration. The terminations are the latest action in the Trump Administration’s war on cheap energy.

In addition to Reps. Casten and Levin, the letter was signed by Reps. Aguilar, Amo, Ansari, Auchincloss, Balint, Barragán, Beatty, Bell, Bera, Beyer, Bishop, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Budzinski, Bynum, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Case, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Conaway, Correa, Costa, Courtney, Crockett, Crow, Davis (IL), Dean, DeGette, DelBene, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Elfreth, Espaillat, Evans, Fields, Foster, Friedman, Garamendi, García (IL), Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX), Goldman, Gomez, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Green, Harder, Hayes, Himes, Horsford, Houlahan, Hoyer, Hoyle, Huffman, Ivey, Jackson (IL), Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson (GA), Kamlager-Dove, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larsen, Larson, Latimer, Lee (PA), Lee (NV), Leger Fernandez, Liccardo, Lieu, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, Mannion, Matsui, McBride, McClain Delaney, McClellan, McCollum, McGovern, McIver, Menendez, Meng, Mfume, Min, Morelle, Morrison, Moulton, Mrvan, Mullin, Nadler, Neal, Neguse, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Olszewski, Omar, Panetta, Pappas, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pou, Quigley, Ramirez, Randall, Riley, Rivas, Ross, Ruiz, Salinas, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Schrier, Scott (VA), Sewell, Sherman, Simon, Smith (WA), Sorensen, Soto, Stansbury, Stanton, Strickland, Subramanyam, Swalwell, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson (MS), Thompson (CA), Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (CA), Trahan, Tran, Vargas, Vasquez, Veasey, Velázquez, Vindman, Walkinshaw, Wasserman Schultz, Watson Coleman, Whitesides, and Williams.

A copy of the letter can be found here. Full text of the letter can be found below.

Dear Secretary Wright,

We write to condemn the Department of Energy’s (DOE) termination of 321 financial awards, supporting 223 projects supporting energy resilience across the country. We are deeply concerned about your Department’s attempt to rebrand the elimination of U.S. clean energy as “$7.56 billion in savings” to taxpayers and the potential political motivations behind the targeting of projects in Democratic-leaning states

This decision is a reversal of properly awarded projects that will harm American jobs, drive private capital out of our country, weaken our power grid, and give China a strategic edge. This Administration’s decision to play political games will result in genuine harm at a time when millions of American families are already struggling to pay their electricity bills amidst the everrising cost of living. These blatantly partisan cancellations must immediately be reversed.

The projects that the Department of Energy (DOE) has unilaterally decided to cancel were driving down costs for all our constituents—regardless of their political affiliation. Household electric bills have already increased 10% nationally since January 2025 and are poised to spike even further. This Administration’s reckless energy policy and award terminations, designed to stifle the development of cheap clean energy and prop up more expensive dirty energy, will only further increase the cost burden for families to keep the lights on.

Your press statement claims these projects “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment.” That is a pretext for cancellations that track political talking points, not facts. Many of these awards had already passed rigorous review, and many of those had already been processed. Companies hired workers, signed contracts, broke ground, and put up private capital in reliance on DOE commitments. Calling that “savings” ignores stranded equipment orders, canceled subcontracts, and layoffs—real costs that ripple through American supply chains. Instead of executing Congress’s direction to build U.S. energy leadership and grid reliability, DOE is moving the goalposts while terminating the very projects that would deliver results.

The consequences of these actions are significant: cancellations will shutter facilities, kill jobs, and stall critical domestic manufacturing. They also inject avoidable uncertainty into energy markets—forcing investors to consider political risks that you have created, which raises financing costs. Terminating grid and manufacturing projects locks in congestion and supplychain bottlenecks, which will lead to higher long-term electricity prices for households and businesses.

We are at a moment of unprecedented growth in electricity demand, which is expected to increase by 25% by 2030. At a time when more energy supply is needed than ever, these cuts will only exacerbate upward pressure on electricity prices by stranding low-cost supply, delaying grid expansion, and increasing reliance on higher-cost imports. In your confirmation hearing, you pledged to pursue “all sources of affordable, reliable energy” to meet these challenges. By terminating awards for cheap energy solutions and those that strengthen the grid, you are going against your word and worsening the very problem you promised to help solve.

Eliminating the Grid Deployment Office and Office of Clean Energy Deployment projects delays transmission and weakens grid resilience, a shortsighted decision that threatens even steeper increasing costs to American consumers and businesses in the future. Additionally, these socalled “savings” waste sunk federal and state dollars and betray disadvantaged communities by erasing critical work to reduce pollution and improve energy affordability.

Fifteen years ago, China generated less electricity than the United States. Today, China generates more than twice as much as we do —and the gap continues to grow. As China and other nations continue to innovate and build the energy technologies of the future, this is precisely the wrong time for the U.S. to back out and cede our technological leadership. The rest of the world will continue to innovate with or without us, and these grant terminations will only set our innovation back at a pivotal time.

It is difficult for us to believe that these project terminations were anything but a partisan targeting of states that are not politically aligned with this Administration. These terminations undermine the spirit of competitive, merit-based awards and throw into question the fairness of the award process under this Administration.

As such, we demand that DOE take the following immediate actions by Tuesday, October 14, 2025:

  1. Suspend all terminations and de-obligations and reinstate the projects.
  2. Provide a complete list of affected awards (office, recipient, state, award number, selection date, federal obligation, non-federal cost share, milestone status) along with the project-specific written justification for termination.
  3. Identify the specific statutory and regulatory authorities relied upon for these mass postaward terminations.
  4. Preserve and provide all Department of Energy records, memoranda, and communications related to the review and termination of these awards, including those resulting from the May 2025 Secretarial memorandum “Ensuring Responsibility for Financial Assistance.”
  5. Describe DOE’s process for recipient appeals and dispute resolution, including timelines, decision-makers, and whether interim funding will be permitted to avoid waste while appeals are pending.

Dismantling America’s advanced-energy buildout under the banner of “savings” does not protect taxpayers—it subsidizes our competitors. It means higher bills and fewer American jobs. We will utilize every oversight and legislative tool available to ensure the DOE follows the law, honors congressional intent, and keeps the United States at the forefront of the global energy race.

Sincerely,

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Rep. Mike Levin & Constituents Sound the Alarm About Health Care Premium Rate Hikes

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

October 03, 2025

Amidst the Republican Government Shutdown, Health Care for Millions of Americans is at Risk

Watch the full press conference here

Encinitas, CA—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) and local residents sounded the alarm about the looming health insurance premium rate hikes that are set to occur if Congress does not act. Residents who rely on Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance premium tax credits to afford health care revealed that average health insurance premiums could more than double—from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026—if the tax credits are not extended by the end of the year. The cost increase could force them to choose between health care and paying rent. Rep. Levin is pushing for an extension of the tax credits in any government funding deal.

On October 1st, the federal government shut down due to President Trump’s refusal to negotiate a bipartisan solution and Congressional Republicans’ unwillingness to extend the ACA health insurance premium tax credits. Now, millions of Americans are at risk of premiums skyrocketing and losing their health care. If the ACA tax credits expire at the end of the year, five million Americans nationwide will lose their ACA plans, 660,000 Californians will be priced out of coverage, and 32,000 people in the 49th Congressional District will see their premiums skyrocket.

“What we see in Washington today is an administration trying to use this shutdown as an excuse to shrink government programs and undermine public servants. That’s not just reckless. It’s illegal. It’s unconstitutional. And it will not stand,” said Rep. Levin. “So let me be crystal clear. We must negotiate a solution now — before the October 15th notices hit San Diego mailboxes, before open enrollment begins, before families are priced out of coverage. And let me say this as plainly as I can: protecting health care for millions of Americans, hundreds of thousands of Californians, and tens of thousands of San Diegans is worth the fight.”

“As a substitute teacher for the last 20 years, comprehensive health insurance wasn’t financially possible unless I paid over half my paycheck for it. When the ACA became available, I was thrilled to finally have comprehensive health insurance. That meant I could get regular check-ups, affordable premiums, necessary prescriptions, and finally have peace of mind,” said Steve T., a Covered CA customer. “Now, Republicans are making health insurance more expensive for me and millions of Americans. They are refusing to extend the ACA premium tax credits, and they even shut down the government because they don’t care if we lose our health insurance! It’s unacceptable and dangerous. Right now, because of the ACA premium tax credits, I save $77 dollars per month. That’s in addition to $849 dollars of savings per month because of the ACA. Because of the tax credits, I save $924 dollars a year. If the tax credits are not extended, I will lose those savings. I cannot afford to lose that critical help.”

According to a report by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, a 60-year-old couple making $85,000 will see their health care costs rise by $22,600 per year if the tax credits expire. Americans overwhelmingly support extending the tax credits: 78% of Americans—including majorities of Republicans and MAGA supporters—want Congress to act now.

On October 15th, formal notices will go out with the final health care costs for 2026, and on November 1st, open enrollment begins. If Congress doesn’t act now, the higher health insurance premium rates will be locked in.

“Having access to health insurance leads to better overall health and well-being. Since the enhanced premium tax credits have been in effect, Covered California has seen its enrollment grow by more than 23% statewide, and nearly 33% percent in this district, helping more people than ever access health insurance through the state marketplace,” said Covered California Chief Medical Officer Dr. Monica Soni. “Without the enhanced premium tax credits, over 34,000 enrollees in the 49th district will pay on average $135 more on their monthly premiums in 2026.”

“Covered California has been a godsend. With the ACA credits, I’ve been able to afford care for my family as I started my own business. But I am terrified of what will happen if those credits expire,” said a constituent of the 49th Congressional District.

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Casten, Levin Lead 163 House Democrats to Demand DOE Reinstate Canceled Projects

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

October 07, 2025

Washington, D.C. (October 7th, 2025) — U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06) and Mike Levin (CA-49), co-chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force, led 163 House Democrats in a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright condemning the termination of $8 billion of projects that were set to lower electricity costs for Americans and increase grid reliability. The lawmakers further demanded that DOE immediately reinstate the projects.

“The projects that the Department of Energy (DOE) has unilaterally decided to cancel were driving down costs for all our constituents—regardless of their political affiliation,” the lawmakers wrote. “Household electric bills have already increased 10% nationally since January 2025 and are poised to spike even further. This Administration’s reckless energy policy and award terminations, designed to stifle the development of cheap, clean energy and prop up more expensive dirty energy, will only further increase the cost burden for families to keep the lights on.”

On October 2nd, DOE announced it would terminate 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects, in 136 Congressional districts, including 108 represented by Democrats and 28 represented by Republicans, accounting for approximately $8 billion. The terminated projects were intended to lower energy costs for consumers, improve grid reliability, create jobs, and strengthen the United States’ global leadership in energy innovation.

A recent report found that Americans in at least 41 states and Washington, D.C., have seen increased electricity and natural gas costs under the Trump Administration. The terminations are the latest action in the Trump Administration’s war on cheap energy.

In addition to Reps. Casten and Levin, the letter was signed by Reps. Aguilar, Amo, Ansari, Auchincloss, Balint, Barragán, Beatty, Bell, Bera, Beyer, Bishop, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Budzinski, Bynum, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Case, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Conaway, Correa, Costa, Courtney, Crockett, Crow, Davis (IL), Dean, DeGette, DelBene, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Elfreth, Espaillat, Evans, Fields, Foster, Friedman, Garamendi, García (IL), Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX), Goldman, Gomez, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Green, Harder, Hayes, Himes, Horsford, Houlahan, Hoyer, Hoyle, Huffman, Ivey, Jackson (IL), Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson (GA), Kamlager-Dove, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larsen, Larson, Latimer, Lee (PA), Lee (NV), Leger Fernandez, Liccardo, Lieu, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, Mannion, Matsui, McBride, McClain Delaney, McClellan, McCollum, McGovern, McIver, Menendez, Meng, Mfume, Min, Morelle, Morrison, Moulton, Mrvan, Mullin, Nadler, Neal, Neguse, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Olszewski, Omar, Panetta, Pappas, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pou, Quigley, Ramirez, Randall, Riley, Rivas, Ross, Ruiz, Salinas, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Schrier, Scott (VA), Sewell, Sherman, Simon, Smith (WA), Sorensen, Soto, Stansbury, Stanton, Strickland, Subramanyam, Swalwell, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson (MS), Thompson (CA), Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (CA), Trahan, Tran, Vargas, Vasquez, Veasey, Velázquez, Vindman, Walkinshaw, Wasserman Schultz, Watson Coleman, Whitesides, and Williams.

Text of the letter can be found below. A copy of the letter can be found here.

Dear Secretary Wright,

We write to condemn the Department of Energy’s (DOE) termination of 321 financial awards, supporting 223 projects supporting energy resilience across the country. We are deeply concerned about your Department’s attempt to rebrand the elimination of U.S. clean energy as “$7.56 billion in savings” to taxpayers and the potential political motivations behind the targeting of projects in Democratic-leaning states

This decision is a reversal of properly awarded projects that will harm American jobs, drive private capital out of our country, weaken our power grid, and give China a strategic edge. This Administration’s decision to play political games will result in genuine harm at a time when millions of American families are already struggling to pay their electricity bills amidst the everrising cost of living. These blatantly partisan cancellations must immediately be reversed.

The projects that the Department of Energy (DOE) has unilaterally decided to cancel were driving down costs for all our constituents—regardless of their political affiliation. Household electric bills have already increased 10% nationally since January 2025 and are poised to spike even further. This Administration’s reckless energy policy and award terminations, designed to stifle the development of cheap clean energy and prop up more expensive dirty energy, will only further increase the cost burden for families to keep the lights on.

Your press statement claims these projects “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment.” That is a pretext for cancellations that track political talking points, not facts. Many of these awards had already passed rigorous review, and many of those had already been processed. Companies hired workers, signed contracts, broke ground, and put up private capital in reliance on DOE commitments. Calling that “savings” ignores stranded equipment orders, canceled subcontracts, and layoffs—real costs that ripple through American supply chains. Instead of executing Congress’s direction to build U.S. energy leadership and grid reliability, DOE is moving the goalposts while terminating the very projects that would deliver results.

The consequences of these actions are significant: cancellations will shutter facilities, kill jobs, and stall critical domestic manufacturing. They also inject avoidable uncertainty into energy markets—forcing investors to consider political risks that you have created, which raises financing costs. Terminating grid and manufacturing projects locks in congestion and supplychain bottlenecks, which will lead to higher long-term electricity prices for households and businesses.

We are at a moment of unprecedented growth in electricity demand, which is expected to increase by 25% by 2030. At a time when more energy supply is needed than ever, these cuts will only exacerbate upward pressure on electricity prices by stranding low-cost supply, delaying grid expansion, and increasing reliance on higher-cost imports. In your confirmation hearing, you pledged to pursue “all sources of affordable, reliable energy” to meet these challenges. By terminating awards for cheap energy solutions and those that strengthen the grid, you are going against your word and worsening the very problem you promised to help solve.

Eliminating the Grid Deployment Office and Office of Clean Energy Deployment projects delays transmission and weakens grid resilience, a shortsighted decision that threatens even steeper increasing costs to American consumers and businesses in the future. Additionally, these socalled “savings” waste sunk federal and state dollars and betray disadvantaged communities by erasing critical work to reduce pollution and improve energy affordability.

Fifteen years ago, China generated less electricity than the United States. Today, China generates more than twice as much as we do —and the gap continues to grow. As China and other nations continue to innovate and build the energy technologies of the future, this is precisely the wrong time for the U.S. to back out and cede our technological leadership. The rest of the world will continue to innovate with or without us, and these grant terminations will only set our innovation back at a pivotal time.

It is difficult for us to believe that these project terminations were anything but a partisan targeting of states that are not politically aligned with this Administration. These terminations undermine the spirit of competitive, merit-based awards and throw into question the fairness of the award process under this Administration.

As such, we demand that DOE take the following immediate actions by Tuesday, October 14, 2025:

  1. Suspend all terminations and de-obligations and reinstate the projects.
  2. Provide a complete list of affected awards (office, recipient, state, award number, selection date, federal obligation, non-federal cost share, milestone status) along with the project-specific written justification for termination.
  3. Identify the specific statutory and regulatory authorities relied upon for these mass postaward terminations.
  4. Preserve and provide all Department of Energy records, memoranda, and communications related to the review and termination of these awards, including those resulting from the May 2025 Secretarial memorandum “Ensuring Responsibility for Financial Assistance.”
  5. Describe DOE’s process for recipient appeals and dispute resolution, including timelines, decision-makers, and whether interim funding will be permitted to avoid waste while appeals are pending.

Dismantling America’s advanced-energy buildout under the banner of “savings” does not protect taxpayers—it subsidizes our competitors. It means higher bills and fewer American jobs. We will utilize every oversight and legislative tool available to ensure the DOE follows the law, honors congressional intent, and keeps the United States at the forefront of the global energy race.

Sincerely,

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Rep. Doggett’s Statement on Republicans’ Government Shutdown

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, released the following statement:

“With complete federal government control, Republicans control this government shutdown. I do not believe we should yield to Trump’s demands without getting some protection for all those about to have their health care access to a physician denied or seriously impaired. For months, we have sought that protection from a totally untrustworthy President. To resolve this shutdown, we don’t seek the perfect but just a bipartisan negotiation to achieve a reasonable resolution of this critical matter.”

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Texas Democratic Delegation Releases Statement on ICE Facility Shooting in Dallas

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

WASHINGTON, DC –  Congressman Veasey (TX-33), Congresswoman Crockett (TX-30), Congresswoman Johnson (TX-32), Congresswoman Fletcher (TX-07), Congresswoman Escobar (TX-16), Congressman Doggett (TX-37), Congressman  Casar (TX-35), Congressman Gonzalez (TX-34), Congresswoman Garcia (TX-29), and Congressman Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the shooting at an ICE processing facility in Dallas, TX: 

“We are horrified at the shooting that has taken place at the ICE processing facility in Dallas and our prayers are with the victims and the first responders. We unequivocally condemn all forms of violence and urge everyone to refrain from rhetoric that fans the flames—from all sides.

“We do not know every fact, but we know that there are two dead victims and one seriously injured. No one — those in uniform, civilians, or immigrants — should be subject to the senseless violence we are seeing across our nation. 

“The Trump Administration and the Governor must stop stoking the flames of division, hate, and anger to exploit people’s fears for political gain. As more details of the shooting emerge, we urge everyone to meet this moment with empathy and not give into the lies and hateful rhetoric we are already seeing.”