In response to Donald Trump’s speech in Detroit today on his economic agenda, Evergreen Action State Advocacy Director Courtney Brady released the following statement:

“Donald Trump is in Detroit today to sell an economic fantasy, but Michigan families are living with the consequences of his agenda every day. He delivered a rambling speech filled with lies about his record, but reality tells a different story: bills are rising, budgets are stretched, and workers are being left behind. Trump has repeatedly intervened to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant on life support long after it was slated to retire, sticking ratepayers with at least $113 million in unnecessary costs to run a plant that the state’s grid operator has confirmed isn’t needed. And after a devastating ice storm, Trump even denied disaster aid to Michigan residents to keep the power on, putting households on the hook for potential rate hikes of at least $4,500.

“Since Trump took office, statewide utility rates have risen by more than 11 percent, with more than 4.3 million electric customers and 3 million gas customers now paying higher bills. That’s no coincidence; it's the result of a deliberate choice to sabotage cheap, clean energy that could meet rising demand and lower costs. At the same time, Trump’s war on clean energy and vehicle manufacturing is draining Michigan’s workforce, costing the state more than 7,600 clean energy jobs and handing foreign competitors the upper hand in electric vehicle manufacturing. Trump can give all the speeches he wants, Michiganders struggling under a cost-of-living crisis know the truth: his agenda is making their bills higher and their job prospects worse.”

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