Weekly Briefing: Time to sway the Senate

May 28, 2025

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill, which dramatically slashes America’s clean energy tax credits. As CCL’s Executive Director Rachel Kerestes expressed in a statement, we are deeply disappointed to see this result.

This is a tough moment. Over the last six months, CCL volunteers have been hard at work conveying to Congress the importance of clean energy tax credits, from dozens of in-person lobby meetings and personal letter drop-offs, to thousands of messages and phone calls, all directed at Republican offices.

We’ve also spent years pouring heart and soul into building respectful relationships on both sides of the aisle for climate policies. We believe, still, that nonpartisan engagement with Congress and our steady presence — what CCL’s founder Marshall Saunders called “constancy” — will yield long-term gains.

And even though our efforts didn’t stop this vote, this vote is not the whole story. Many Republicans have changed how they talk about climate and clean energy, in part because of the persistent, values-based engagement from CCL volunteers. That doesn’t always translate into immediate votes, especially in the face of overwhelming partisan pressure exerted during a process like budget reconciliation, but it does shift the terrain for the future.

We are proud of our work and grateful to every grassroots volunteer who has put time and effort toward the specific defense of clean energy tax credits and toward the broader, long term work of CCL. And we’re not done yet.

Take action this week:

Now it’s time for us to turn our focus to the Senate. We have a few options of things you can do now to make sure Republican Senators know the value of America’s clean energy tax credits — and the damage that would be done by repealing them. You can:

• Contact your Republican Senator with this easy action tool. Just input your address, and the tool will pull up your Senators and a template message to send them.
• Submit CCL's new op-ed template to your local newspaper. Download the op-ed here and personalize it with local data.
• Attend a special workshop tomorrow night for support with the op-ed and other media actions. RSVP here and plan to join us.

Let’s take these actions to show that the House cuts to clean energy tax credits are deeply unpopular, and to urge Republican Senators to do everything they can to protect the tax credits in their version of the bill.

Featured media: Op-eds in Iowa & Montana

Volunteers around the country are submitting CCL’s latest op-ed template to their local newspapers, and the hits are beginning to roll in!

Elle Murphy from Iowa was early out of the gate, getting the template published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen the day the House voted. Elle’s local version of the op-ed mentioned that “manufacturers like Little Sioux Corn Processors and Summit Carbon Solutions have made major investments” in Iowa thanks to clean energy tax credits.

Angie Winter from Montana had the template published in the Missoulian, adding her own local details to the piece, such as: “Since 2022, Montana has benefited from $2.4 billion in specific investments covering 14 projects, and creating 3080 jobs.”

Great work to all the volunteers who have localized and submitted this op-ed template so far!

Look here to see if anyone has submitted the op-ed in your state or to your local newspaper yet. If not, it could be you! Download the template and get started today.

Training topics

5/29: LTEs and Op-eds for Clean Energy Tax Credits - Join CCL Communications & Media Manager Charlotte Ward for a special media workshop this Thursday night. At 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, you’ll get context and a quick training from Charlotte, a chance to ask your questions, and focused time to get started on an op-ed or LTE. Join us!

WATCH: Understanding the Foreign Pollution Fee Act - Last week, CCL Policy Fellow Danny Richter took a deep dive into the Republican-led Foreign Pollution Fee Act, giving people a comprehensive understanding of the bill, its implications for U.S. climate policy, and strategies for effective advocacy. Watch the recording.

WATCH: Fix Our Forests - Senate version - Earlier this month, CCL Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli and VP of Government Affairs Jennifer Tyler walked volunteers through the Senate's version of the Fix Our Forests Act. A version of this bill already passed the House earlier this year and could advance in the Senate as early as this summer. Watch the recording so you're up to speed on the bill and ready to take action when a grassroots push is needed.