Congressman Tom Barrett is Leading the Fight to Lower Energy Costs

Congressman Tom Barrett penned an op-ed highlighting his work to boost energy production and lower costs for Michiganders while calling on Michigan Democrats to follow suit.

Read the full op-ed from Congressman Tom Barrett here or see excerpts below:

Congress is lowering energy costs. Michigan needs to follow suit
Lansing State Journal
March 17, 2026

Michiganders know the increasing pain of paying the utility bills each month. Electric rates climb year after year, making it more expensive for working families to keep the lights on.

That’s why I’m fighting to bring prices down for the people of Michigan. In Congress, I’ve taken action to boost energy production, because increasing supply to meet residents’ needs will lower costs.

My Republican colleagues and I have unleashed American energy through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and other common-sense reforms. We cut unnecessary regulations that limited production of reliable energy sources like oil and natural gas, and I’ve helped lead the bipartisan charge to reopen a reliable nuclear power plant in Michigan. We’re refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — the emergency fuel supply that President Joe Biden recklessly drew down.

We also ended the Biden administration’s handouts to favored energy special interests. These corporate welfare subsidies took Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars and gave them to wind and solar companies. The government shouldn’t be picking winners and losers, but Biden’s Green New Deal stifled competition on the taxpayer dime. Congressional Republicans ended these handouts, protecting taxpayer dollars and restoring a level playing field so the market can choose the best, most reliable, and most affordable energy sources.

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Congress is doing its job to lower costs and energize our economy. It’s time for the Michigan Legislature to do the same.