U.S. News

Trump’s Energy Agenda May Increase Utility Bills by $400

By Jake Beardslee · June 4, 2025

WASHINGTON — With U.S. electricity prices already up 13 percent since 2022, concerns are mounting that President Donald Trump’s latest energy policies may further burden American households. According to The Independent, utility costs could rise by as much as $400 annually per household, fueled by expanding energy demands, volatile natural gas prices, and cuts to government energy aid.

Four Republican senators sent a letter to President Trump in April, urging him not to eliminate Biden-era energy credits. They wrote that eliminating these credits, “that provide a direct passthrough benefit to ratepayers, would translate into immediate utility bill increases, placing additional strain on hardworking Americans.”

A surge in AI-related infrastructure, including large data centers from Vantage and Tesla, is adding significant load to power grids in states like Ohio, further driving up costs. Meanwhile, natural gas prices remain unstable following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation has been exacerbated by U.S. gas producers selling fuel abroad, where it commands higher prices.

Last week, the Trump administration approved a major U.S. liquified gas supplier to export even more fuel overseas. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former oil executive appointed by Trump, celebrated the move, saying, “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are cutting the red tape around projects like CP2, unleashing our energy potential and ensuring [the] U.S. can continue to meet growing energy demand for decades to come.”

However, critics argue these developments come at the expense of domestic consumers. The Independent cites data showing that by 2020, 34 million U.S. households struggled to pay energy bills, often enduring unsafe indoor temperatures to conserve electricity. The problem could worsen, as the Trump administration’s proposed budget eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which currently supports 6.2 million Americans.

Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told The New York Times, “Now you bring in extreme temperatures, record heat, and it’s a very bad situation.”