Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 46 members of Congress in filing an amicus brief in support of 23 states’ lawsuit against the Trump administration for terminating the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Solar for All program (Arizona et al v. EPA).

“Solar for All is one of the most important affordable energy programs in our country’s history,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “The Trump administration’s decision to terminate Solar for All was not just reckless—it was unlawful.  Congress established the Solar for All program.  Congress appropriated the funds for it.  No president or political appointee can unilaterally eliminate a program Congress has created.  We created this program to serve every American, in red states and blue states alike.  We wanted to make sure that families from El Paso to Elkhart, Amarillo to Austin, and Houston to Harlingen could all share in the prosperity of America’s energy future.  That is why states across the country are suing—not for politics, but for principle—and why I am glad to join Congressman Cleaver and Senator Whitehouse in leading this effort to support them.”

The Solar for All program is a $7 billion investment to help working families lower their electricity bills, strengthen local economies, and build a more resilient future.  Harris County won one of the program’s largest awards: $250 million to deliver solar and battery storage to more than 28,000 low-income and working-class households throughout the community.  Families were set to save an average of $468 per year in energy costs before the program’s termination. 

Last year, Congresswoman Fletcher and Congressman Cleaver led their Democratic colleagues in an effort urging the Trump administration to reinstate the Solar for All program.  In February, Congresswoman Fletcher, Congressman Cleaver, and Senator Whitehouse led their colleagues in filing an amicus brief in support of Harris County’s separate lawsuit to restore Solar for All.

To read the full text of the amicus brief in support of the 23 states’ lawsuit, click here.