Democrats preparing to take control of Congress in January say they will push for more clean energy to help bring down rising energy costs, setting up a confrontation with President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to use his veto power aggressively.
With new majorities in the House and Senate after last week's midterm elections, Democrats can set an agenda boosting clean energy and addressing climate change, even though climate was not a central topic in this election cycle. They can also open investigations and hold hearings into the Republican administration's rollbacks of climate policy and its elimination of green energy grants, potentially undoing some changes and restoring renewable energy incentives.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said Trump's clean energy attacks drove up prices for taxpayers. Democrats will "work every angle to lower consumers' energy costs, and we will demand accountability for the massive corruption wrought by Trump's fossil-fuel donors," he said. Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said everybody trying to build clean energy "feels bolstered."
Enacting major changes would require Republican support, because Democrats will lack the numbers to override presidential vetoes. Even then, lower energy bills are not guaranteed, since prices also depend on fuel costs, demand and the expense of maintaining the electric grid. "The wins give Democrats more leverage over spending and more political power to advance a coherent agenda; the question is whether they'll use that power effectively," said Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.
Trump said after Tuesday's election that Democrats will send over "things that are insane" and that he will veto them, though he predicted in comments to Fox News that "after a couple of months of vetoes," he and Democrats will find ways to work together. The White House said in a statement Wednesday that Trump is "committed to unleashing reliable, affordable, and secure energy sources" and is willing to work with anyone to lower prices, strengthen the grid and protect national security.
Trump promised to lower energy prices, but his war with Iran and other policies have increased the price of gasoline, diesel and electricity, while his administration has canceled many clean energy projects and grants and slowed clean energy permitting. The president particularly dislikes offshore wind, yet developer Orsted said Thursday that Revolution Wind, a large wind farm in federal waters off Rhode Island, has started operating commercially.
Former Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, said it is doubtful the president will change his tune on green energy. "He is likely to keep pushing his energy issues, and I think he will be forced to give some room for a new Congress to recreate a different strategy that will add clean energy," Dorgan said in an email. Trump promotes expanding production of oil, natural gas and coal, which cause climate change, arguing that would give the United States the lowest-cost electricity.
Mike Sommers, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry's top lobbying group, said that as voters have changed the balance of power in Washington, "the affordability message is unmistakable." He pointed to an energy permitting reform proposal announced in September as a real opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. Ife Kilimanjaro, executive director of the U.S. Climate Action Network, said Democrats should reject that proposal and use their stronger position to pass legislation that builds out much-needed clean energy.
Clear Street energy transition analyst Tim Moore said he expects Democrats to investigate the climate and environmental rollbacks in an effort to block some from taking effect, and possibly to amend the Clean Air Act to cut carbon pollution. Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois said he is cautiously optimistic some Republicans will now seek to differentiate themselves from Trump and back pro-environmental policies, but without Republican support the more ambitious bills will largely lay out the party's agenda for 2028. David Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at the University of California, San Diego, largely expects a federal stalemate under divided government, saying the next two years look like "a recipe for kind of intense chaos."
Climate is not necessarily at the top of the party's list, as Democrats are also targeting healthcare access, trade tariffs and the Iran war. Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who is expected to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the party should focus on healthcare, affordability, consumer and environmental protections, clean energy and regulating Big Tech. At the state level, Democrats won governor's races in longtime Republican states including Texas and Georgia, and University of California, Santa Barbara political scientist Leah Stokes said those wins could bring significant state action on climate next year. Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee also expects growing momentum in states that elected Democratic governors. "So I hope people will pay attention to the big progress we're going to make on a state-level basis," Inslee said.
