Four Senate Democrats demand restoration of clean energy grants before permitting bill vote

Oct 27, 2026

Four Democratic senators—Tammy Duckworth, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Jeff Merkley—are demanding that the Trump administration restore billions of dollars in canceled clean energy grants before a November 9, 2026 procedural vote on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. The demand highlights growing divisions within the Democratic caucus, as negotiators like Senator Martin Heinrich urge passage to resolve grid transmission backlogs affecting 8,200 renewable projects.

Democratic senators' demands and concerns

▪Four Democratic Senators—Tammy Duckworth, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Jeff Merkley—sent a letter to permitting bill negotiators demanding the restoration of terminated clean energy grants before voting on the legislation.
▪Sens. Duckworth, Wyden, Markey, and Merkley stated in their letter that the Trump administration has proven to be an untrustworthy negotiating partner that may not faithfully execute the permitting reform bill.
▪Sens. Duckworth, Wyden, Markey, and Merkley expressed concern that the proposed permitting legislation could grant the Trump administration additional authority to favor fossil fuel and data center developers over renewable energy.

Cancellation of clean energy grants

▪In October 2025, the Department of Energy terminated 321 awards supporting 223 clean energy projects worth approximately $7.56 billion.
▪The Department of Energy acknowledged in a court filing that political considerations influenced its selection of clean energy grants targeted for termination in October 2025.
▪Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought listed states that did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election when announcing cuts to energy funding.
▪A January 2026 federal court ruling determined that certain Department of Energy clean energy grant cancellations violated constitutional equal protection guarantees.

Permitting bill provisions and timeline

▪The Senate is scheduled to consider a procedural motion to proceed vote on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 on November 9, 2026.
▪Under the proposed permitting bill, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would be authorized to issue permits for interstate transmission lines of 230 kilovolts or greater if a state fails to act within one year.
▪The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 was introduced by Senator Shelley Moore Capito
▪The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 aims to accelerate federal approvals for energy and infrastructure projects by reducing regulatory hurdles, setting deadlines for environmental reviews, and limiting legal challenges.

Grid connection and supply shortfalls

▪Approximately 8,200 wind, solar, and battery storage projects representing over 2,000 gigawatts of potential power generation are currently awaiting connection to the electric grid, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
▪Consulting firm Grid Strategies estimates that U.S. power supplies are not coming online fast enough to meet an additional 166 gigawatts of power demand by 2030.

Rising electricity prices

▪Average electricity prices have risen by 41 percent in the 13 states governed by the regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection.
▪The Energy Information Administration forecasts that U.S. wholesale electricity prices will average $52 per megawatt hour in 2026, an 11 percent increase from 2025.