ICYMI: Rep. Dingell and Michiganders Warn Trump’s Tax Megabill Would Hike Energy Bills, Kill Manufacturing Jobs, and Slam the Brakes on U.S. Auto Leadership
With Michigan’s economy and clean energy future on the line, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6) joined workers and advocates to deliver a clear warning: Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would be devastating for the state. It would take a sledgehammer to investments in clean energy and electric vehicles (EVs), resulting in shuttered projects, soaring utility bills, and tens of thousands of jobs on the chopping block. Rep. Dingell laid out the stakes of the catastrophic legislation following yesterday’s Senate passage and before she votes against its final passage this week in the House.
A recording of the event is available here.
Rep. Dingell was joined by labor, environmental, health, and community leaders—along with an East Lansing homeowner who used clean energy tax credits to install rooftop solar and cut her energy bills, highlighting the real-world impact of these investments. Together, they warned the bill would wipe out the majority of planned and proposed clean energy projects, sending utility bills for working families skyrocketing by as much as $110 next year and $400 within a decade. And, it would jeopardize more than 25,000 good-paying jobs statewide. Michigan’s manufacturing resurgence, especially in the auto industry, would be at risk.
The GOP plan would kneecap the auto industry—long the beating heart of American manufacturing—just as it shifts into high gear. Federal investments are helping Michigan automakers retool factories, create good-paying union jobs, and compete globally. The bill could kill nearly 16,000 jobs in the state’s EV industry alone and cancel up to 100% of planned EV assembly capacity. It wouldn’t just stall progress—it would drive the growing industry off a cliff just as China accelerates its global lead.
The message from Michigan was clear and urgent: lawmakers must reject Trump’s megabill and choose energy dominance, economic growth, and American manufacturing over handouts to their billionaire donors. The alternative? Put even more strain on Michiganders’ wallets and slam the brakes on Michigan’s momentum, just as it’s gaining speed.
You can watch a full recording of the event here and read excerpts from participants below:
“This Republican bill will raise costs for working Americans while destroying jobs, reversing years of clean energy advancements, exacerbating the climate crisis, and making communities more vulnerable and less resilient—all of this to give a tax break to oil and gas billionaires,” said Rep. Dingell. “It will make our air and water dirtier and increase pollution, making Americans sicker while kicking people off their health insurance. This big, ugly bill is bad for our economy, it’s bad for families, it’s bad for workers, and it’s bad for Michigan. We can't give in, and I will keep fighting against it in every way I can.”
“As a homeowner who took advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar energy tax credits, I’ve seen my electricity bills go down to a fourth of what they were. Taking this away from homeowners is a terrible idea, especially since we collectively need more power, not less,” said East Lansing homeowner Ann Siegle. “With rates set to rise as much as 8% this next year, all of us will be paying more for less power generation. I’m concerned too for the companies like the one that installed my solar. The local company and their team—all young guys working a great job—will be out of work if this bill passes.”
“This big bill is anything but beautiful”, said Dr. Lisa Del Buono, MD, Founder and Board Chair of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. “Michigan was making great strides towards an affordable and dependable clean energy infrastructure that would clean up the air and save lives, but this legislation would set us back to an economy powered by unhealthy fossil fuels. In addition, proposed cuts to Medicaid would leave millions of our most vulnerable without access to healthcare and put additional financial strain on smaller rural healthcare facilities already at risk of closure. We can do better than this.”
“This bill will put working people out of jobs and throw the manufacturing revitalization that’s already underway in Michigan in reverse,” said Frank Houston, Senior State Policy Manager for the BlueGreen Alliance. “The clean energy and auto investments in place today are already creating good-paying jobs and rebuilding our industrial base. Rolling them back now would be a huge step backward for Michigan’s economy and working families that none of us can afford.”
“This bill is a scorched-earth assault on the health, wallets and future of every Michigander,” said Bentley Johnson, Federal Government Affairs Director for Michigan LCV. “At a time when families are battling rising costs, dangerous air pollution and the escalating impacts of climate change, Republicans are choosing to side with billionaire polluters over the people they were elected to serve. This is legislative malpractice of the highest order.”
Analyses on the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” and its impacts on Michigan:
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