Washington – The Mass Internal Policy Law of Republicans is a special tax for wind and lots, a disposition that was a surprise not only for the renewable energy industry, but also for numerous senators who prepare the legislation.
In a turn, the Republican senators insist that they do not know how or why the tax was inserted in the bill that is rushing to approve. No senator is receiving credit or defending it. And at least one wants to be removed.
Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., president of the Budget Committee, who published the 940 -page bill, said he does not know where that provision comes from.
“It’s a secret, I guess,” Graham told NBC News on Monday night. “I don’t know where it came from.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican from Alaska, was baffled by the provision, saying that the special tax “simply arose” tax as if it were “in air” in the bill before the vote on Saturday to proceed.
“It was not part of any consideration,” he said. “It’s like, surprise! It’s Saturday night. And we look at him like, where did this come from?”
“My opinion is that it is completely punitive for the wind and solar industry,” Murkowski said, adding that the Senate controlled by Republicans is “looking at different options” to deal with that.
The disposition would tax wind and solar projects if a certain participation of its components comes from China. It is written ambiguously, and would train the Trump administration to resolve the rule.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Said he is “well with that” when asked about the details of the disposition. But she was also in the dark about who inserted it.
“You can add me to the group that does not know the answer,” Lummis said.
The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, Trump’s former advisor, set the legislation on fire, saying that “millions of jobs in the United States would destroy.”
“Completely crazy and destructive,” Musk said about the bill. “Give brochures to the industries of the past and severely damage the industries of the future.” He added: “At this time a massive strategic error is being made of damaging solar/battery energy that will leave extremely vulnerable United States in the future.”
The spokesmen of the Republican Presidents of the Finance Committee (Mike Crapo de Idaho), the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Mike Lee de Utah) and the Environment and Public Works Committee (Shelley Moore Capito de West Virginia) did not respond to comments requests when asked if the senators defended the provision.
The White House and Republican leaders promote the bill such as the satisfaction of President Donald Trump’s promise to boost energy production in the United States, including fossil fuels. Trump also promised to unravel the clean energy incentives that the Democrats approved in the Biden administration.
Democrats have criticized the special tax, among other energy policies in the Republican bill, as an attempt to reward fossil fuel companies while discouraging clean energy production.
Industry groups also increased in the new special tax.
“Without prior notice, the Senate has proposed a new language that would increase taxes on national energy production,” said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association.
“In what can only be described as ‘midnight discharge’, the Senate has proposed an increase in punitive taxes aimed at the fastest growing sectors of our energy industry,” he said in a statement. “It is surprising that the Senate would intentionally increase consumers prices instead of promoting economic growth and addressing the affordability crisis facing US households.”
Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, praised the general bill, but criticized that provision, writing in X that “serious energy production is never a good policy, whether oil and gas or, in this case, renewable.”
“The demand for electricity is established to see enormous growth and this tax will increase prices,” he said. “It must be eliminated.”
