Energy Costs and Jobs in the First Year of Trump’s Second Term
By Johani Carolina Ponce
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump stated at a rally in August of that year that “under my administration, we’re going to cut energy and electricity prices in half within 12 months, 18 months at the most.” However, data from the report “One Year of Trump: Higher Costs, Less Jobs, and Families Even More Vulnerable,” published in January 2026 by Climate Power in Action, indicates that the opposite occurred. Since January 2025, electricity bills for American households have increased by 13%, while residential gas prices have risen by nearly 60% during the first year of his second term.
In Florida, the Public Utilities Commission approved a rate increase for Florida Power & Light in 2025, affecting approximately 12 million people. The adjustment raised the monthly bill for a typical residential customer by $2.50, but it adds to increases approved in previous years that, according to regulatory documents, will cause FPL customers to pay hundreds of dollars more per year compared to 2021, when the average monthly bill was $101.70. “I noticed an increase in my electricity rate, but mostly in food; that’s what affects our family the most,” said Andrés Hernández, a Florida resident.
Nationally, the report notes that utility companies raised or attempted to raise rates by at least $85.8 billion over the past year. These increases affected more than 108 million electricity customers and 49 million gas customers. As a result, one in six U.S. households reported falling behind on their energy bills. The effect has been greatest in Latino communities, which face an energy burden approximately 20% higher than that of white households. “I’ve had to request several payment extensions from FPL because I have to prioritize food and health insurance,” stated Carolina Castro, who has lived in Miami for 15 years.
Employment and Other Household Costs
According to official U.S. government data, the unemployment rate was projected to reach 4.4% by the end of 2025. In November of that year, the rate was 4.6%, while in December, 50,000 jobs were reported to have been created nationwide.
The document also identifies changes in the energy sector’s labor market. Since the November 2024 presidential election, more than 165,000 jobs in the clean energy industry have been lost or suspended, including nearly 71,000 in Latino communities and across 47 states. In August 2025, President Donald Trump said he would not “approve any new wind turbine projects,” calling this type of energy financially inefficient and harmful to the environment.
Enough projects to power more than 13 million homes have been canceled or delayed, amidst a sustained increase in demand.
The tariffs implemented in 2025 added further pressure to the cost of living. According to the report, they represented an average cost of $1,100 per household, by increasing the price of key materials such as steel, aluminum, and copper used in energy infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.
Environmental Regulation and Response to Extreme Events
Regarding environmental and public health issues, the report indicates that 31 federal pollution regulations were eliminated—measures that were intended to generate significant economic and health benefits. This was compounded by a year marked by extreme weather events, which increased recovery costs for states and local governments. The report’s data and official government figures show that, during the first year of Donald Trump’s second term, some macroeconomic indicators remained stable, while energy costs and changes in specific sectors, such as energy, generated additional pressures for many households.
