Congressman Barrett should be more afraid of high energy prices than he is of Trump

Tom Barrett may be trying to shift the blame, but I know from personal experience that supporting cheaper, cleaner energy saves money. Like many Americans, I’m upset about Trump’s self-inflicted affordability crisis, from the rising cost of electricity and gas to the capricious tariffs that make it harder to afford everyday goods. One area of relief my family was able to secure in 2023—installing solar panels thanks to the clean energy tax credits—has now been yanked away from our neighbors by Congressman Tom Barrett and Donald Trump.

On top of everything else, Michiganders are in economic pain because of EV job loss, clean energy project job loss and ever-higher costs of health care thanks to cuts and tariffs. Gas prices have risen more than 60 cents since the start of Trump’s war in Iran, with diesel climbing even higher. Americans spend roughly $3.7 million more per day for every penny increase in the national average price of gas, and as of March 8, drivers were spending about $187 million more per day than the previous week.

Trump is advancing a war that is deeply unpopular with Americans and threatens to further disrupt prices. And Congressman Barrett is right there with him, supporting policies that aren’t in the best interest of mid-Michigan families. Too many Americans are being forced to decide between what they can afford each month—groceries, medicine, gas or keeping the lights on.

Thanks to our solar panels, our average monthly bills are closer to $15 or $20. It’s galling to know that many of our neighbors now don’t have the option of installing solar panels like my family did because Trump and congressional Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. This legislation wiped out the clean energy tax credits and investments that would have added more energy to the grid when our country needs it most. 

Trump cut federal clean energy investments and hamstrung our clean energy economy, leaving us more vulnerable to global price spikes, all to appease his Big Oil donors. Since Trump assumed office, more than $61.4 billion in clean energy investments have been canceled or stalled, leading to nearly 27,000 announced MW being taken off the grid, enough to power more than 14.2 million homes.

And then there are the tariffs, which have been devastating for American manufacturing, including the clean energy industry. Trump’s tariffs are projected to decrease U.S. solar capacity by 9% and battery energy storage capacity by 4% by 2035. Tariffs won’t reinvigorate domestic clean energy manufacturing, because companies are only willing to invest in building factories when there’s long-term certainty about the profitability of these investments.

Our elected officials in Michigan should be working to advance our best interests by investing in clean energy and pushing back against Trump’s reckless tariffs and foreign wars. Some of them are fighting back.

Others in Michigan have proposed capping rates and protections for ratepayers, as well as building on the successful Michigan Clean Energy laws that allow us to provide cheaper, cleaner energy as a buffer against war, tariffs, and other attacks from the federal administration. But Congressman Barrett has been unwilling to put our needs first in the face of an administration beholden to big oil CEOs and wealthy corporations.

Though I am ‘represented’ by Barrett in Congress, I’ve never felt more abandoned by an elected official. He doesn’t put his constituents first and he continues to follow policies that are harmful to Michigan’s clean energy economy. He’s been too afraid of Trump to stand up for mid-Michigan families, and now the economic harm he’s done is only going to get worse as prices continue to escalate.

Ann Siegle is an East Lansing homeowner who installed solar panels in 2023.