[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 146 (Monday, September 8, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2026

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 2025

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, Minnesotans are feeling the heat, literally. 
The Twin Cities have experienced 10 days over 90 degrees this summer, 
and wildfire smoke has 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 will vote 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 percent 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 percent 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. While most U.S. households spend 3 
percent of their income on energy costs, low-income households often 
spend 15 percent or more. Under the MAGA Republican plan, many senior 
citizens and families would be forced to choose between buying 
groceries or cooling their homes during record-breaking heat.
  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.
  The Department of Defense considers climate change to be a top 
national security concern. Climate change is making nations around the 
world more unstable and less safe. It's also hurting our military 
readiness here at home, with sea-level rise and extreme weather 
flooding our bases. Permafrost thaw is making Alaskan runways unusable. 
Radar stations are at risk of falling into the sea.
  Mr. Chair, 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 a Minnesota representative, I will fight to defend these critical 
investments because Minnesotans deserve better. The children deserve 
better.

                          ____________________