Congressman Krishnamoorthi Blasts Trump Administration for Driving Up Energy Bills for Illinoisans

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) today sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright urging immediate action to address skyrocketing utility costs and the harmful impacts of Trump Administration policies that are undermining clean energy projects nationwide.

In his letter, Congressman Krishnamoorthi warned that "Illinoisans will face an average utility rate hike of $180 per year starting in 2026. Around the country, utility companies are set to increase electricity rates this year by more than $38 billion, affecting more than 57 million Americans. These costs are only projected to rise, with residential electricity rates increasing steadily by as much as 18% over the next few years. As costs rise in every sector, this is a burden that working families simply cannot afford."

Krishnamoorthi emphasized that these higher bills impacting Illinois families across the state are directly linked to the rollback of federal clean energy support under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which terminated tax credits for wind and solar. Trump has further declared that "no new wind or solar projects will be approved under his administration." As Congressman Krishnamoorthi notes in his letter, these actions "have already led to the cancellation of over $22 billion in clean energy investments in just the first half of 2025 alone" and resulted in "higher prices and 21,000 lost potential clean energy jobs."

"The cancellation of wind and solar tax credits and blocking federal support for clean energy is in direct opposition to Trump's stated goal to 'unleash American energy,'" the Congressman wrote. "At a time when our grid is increasingly strained by extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and rising demand from technologies like AI and data centers, we should be doubling down on clean energy investments, not walking away from them."

Congressman Krishnamoorthi noted that in 2024, wind and solar accounted for 93 percent of the new electricity added to the U.S. power grid, making them among the most cost-effective sources of energy available today.

The letter is available here.