Everything is expensive — and these Trump administration policies aren’t helping
Less than one-third of voters say the U.S. is better off now than when President Trump took office in 2025. One issue that's top of mind? Rising costs.
We examined some key Trump administration environmental policies that are proving harmful to peoples’ health and household budgets. Here’s a look at the numbers:
10%
The rise in household electricity bills, nationally, since President Trump took office, despite his promise to cut Americans’ energy bills in half.
While many factors are driving the increase, the administration’s efforts to obstruct clean energy isn’t helping, says Ted Kelly, an attorney for the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.
“Right now, when you look at what’s cheapest to put on the grid, it’s solar and wind and battery storage,” says Kelly. “One cause of the high energy bills is this intervention by the Trump administration to block and slow deployment of clean, affordable energy.”
The upside: In December, a federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s ban on wind energy permitting. And judges have overturned all five Trump administration stop-work orders on offshore wind projects already under construction, unleashing clean power for more than 2.5 million homes and businesses.
$80 million +
The cost to consumers in just four months to keep one unreliable coal-fired power plant operating past its retirement date.
The Trump administration ordered the plant in Michigan, one of the biggest sources of pollution in the state, to stay open just one week before a long-planned retirement, at the cost of $60,000 each day.
The administration also ordered other coal power plants in Colorado, Indiana and Washington to stay open, derailing carefully laid plans to shutter these expensive, unreliable facilities and move to cleaner, more affordable energy. The Colorado plant extension order would rack up $85 million in costs for consumers. If orders continue for other coal power plants scheduled to retire nationwide, the price tag could reach $6 billion.
What's next: EDF, public interest groups and state officials are suing the U.S. Department of Energy in federal court to stop the extensions.
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$29 billion
The drop in clean energy manufacturing investments in 2025, largely due to Trump administration policies and cuts to clean energy tax credits.
The cancelled investments also cut 39,000 anticipated jobs, with Illinois, Michigan and Tennessee seeing the biggest losses. “These cancelled clean energy manufacturing projects will cause financial hardships for communities across the country, many of which saw investment for the first time in a generation,” said EDF’s Ellen Robo, who analyzes the impacts of clean air policies.
The upside: In January, a court ruled that the Trump administration’s cancellation of $7.5 billion in funding for clean energy, grid improvement and energy efficiency projects — only in states that did not vote for President Trump — was illegal.
33,000 - 77,000
The estimated increase in unnecessary, early deaths over the next 30 years, if the administration repeals the Endangerment Finding.
The Endangerment Finding, which underpins federal authority to regulate climate pollution, supports critical climate and clean air safeguards. The increased smog and soot-forming pollution that could result from the repeal would also contribute to an additional 122,000 hospital and emergency room visits.
The upside: A federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration violated the law when it secretly convened a group of five climate deniers to produce a hasty, unscientific government report casting doubt on the science behind the Endangerment Finding.
547+
The number of facilities granted “pollution passes” by the Trump administration.
By simply applying for a presidential exemption via email, these major polluters can circumvent rules on air pollution, despite the health consequences for local communities. More than 2 million people live near one of these facilities. (Check this map to see if there’s one near you.)
What's next: A coalition of environmental and community groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. “President Trump’s callous and dangerous actions let some of the country’s worst industrial polluters evade compliance with the safeguards that protect Americans from toxic air pollution,” says EDF General Counsel Vickie Patton, adding, “We will vigorously oppose these indefensible and deeply damaging actions.”
91%
The proportion of U.S. wetlands that would lose Clean Water Act protections under a Trump EPA proposal.
Wetlands are valuable ecosystems that provide water filtration, flood protection and wildlife habitat, but the EPA has proposed removing protection from the vast majority of all the wetlands in the continental United States. The new rule would not only put these ecosystems at risk — it could also put people in harm’s way by allowing for paving and development in flood-prone areas. As climate change increases the risk of flooding across the country, and home insurance prices are already unaffordable for some, losing wetlands could be an expensive proposition.
What's next: The EPA is expected to announce its final rule later this year. In the meantime, you can show your support for our nation’s wetlands
