Weekly Briefing: Reconciliation bill is now law; Our advocacy led to better outcomes

July 9, 2025

The budget reconciliation bill that has been working its way through Congress for months cleared its final hurdle through Congress when it passed the House last week. It reached President Trump’s desk for a signature on July 4.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act — now law — strikes a serious blow to America’s clean energy progress and therefore to the climate. Over the last few months, we’ve talked a lot about the content of the bill and the harm it will cause, as well as our efforts to lobby Congress for better policy.

It is, of course, deeply disappointing to see that this bill has advanced and made it into law. But victory isn’t always just about vote outcomes — in this case, it’s important to note how our persistent engagement steered Congress away from the worst version of this bill.

“The version initially passed by the House would have effectively immediately gutted the clean electricity tax credits” and “added about 2.7 billion tons of climate pollution to the atmosphere over the coming decade,” explains CCL Research Manager Dana Nuccitelli in a new article for Yale Climate Connections.

But the final bill, thanks in part to our persistent lobbying for changes to the bill, was ultimately “about 25% less costly than the House version – both to pocketbooks and to the climate.”

We’re grateful to every single CCLer who took action on this. This work began last fall when we first lobbied Republican lawmakers to protect clean energy tax credits, and it continued right up through the final votes in Congress with thousands of calls and emails.

Your dedication means America’s clean energy and climate policy is in a better spot than if you hadn’t shown up at all. Thank you for having the hard conversations and working for better climate outcomes.

Read more analysis from Dana in Yale Climate Connections.

In other news this week

Our hearts are with Texas after climate-fueled flooding: CCL staff and volunteers alike are heartbroken seeing the news of the devastating Texas floods.

A rapid attribution report from ClimaMeter found that “meteorological conditions similar to that causing floods in Texas are up to 7% wetter in the present than they have been in the past,” and that “natural variability alone cannot explain the increase in precipitation associated with Texas floods," making it clear this is a climate disaster.

Our hearts go out to the communities and families immediately impacted by this tragedy. We remain committed to advancing climate policy that reduces the carbon pollution driving disasters like this.

To learn more about the dynamic between hotter temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, read this new article from Bloomberg.

Take action: Attend CCL's July Meeting

This weekend, CCL hosts our July Monthly Meeting for volunteers and chapters all around the country. Tune in virtually on Zoom on Saturday, July 12, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT for updates about our work and insights from CCL VP of Government Affairs, Jenn Tyler.

Jenn and her team will share:

• What we're telling lawmakers during our Lobby Day later this month
• How many meetings we have scheduled
• Who we're meeting with on Capitol Hill
• Why it matters that we show up in D.C. by the hundreds every year

Plus, we'll go through our July Action Sheet together so you can keep your climate advocacy going strong.

Featured: Braver Angels Action Team - See their feature here!

Upcoming trainings

7/10: Summer 2025 Lobby Training #2: Legislative Plan and Q&A - For the second part of this training series, CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs Jenn Tyler will provide up to the moment insights on the dynamics in Congress and how we can most effectively use our time in meetings to support our agenda. Join us!

WATCH: Lobbying with Impact: How to Prepare and Show Up Strong for Your Congressional Meetings - As CCL volunteers gear up for our upcoming DC lobby day, preparation is everything. Catch up on this recent training that will help you to show up confident, clear, and connected when you walk into a Congressional meeting. Watch the recording.