Just over two years ago, the Biden administration provided about $11 billion in grants and loans for utility companies to provide low-cost clean energy to rural communities across the country. Yet, President Donald J. Trump won a record 93% of rural counties in the 2024 election. Now, through his proposed budget, Trump is stripping economic benefits from those same rural supporters.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed into law in 2022. Its objectives included reducing the national debt, investing in clean energy, combating climate change, and cutting consumer healthcare and energy expenses. Much of the IRA, along with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), was aimed at creating jobs and bolstering economies in rural areas.
