WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a survey of its membership, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) voted to adopt an official position to oppose S. 5653, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act as drafted, unless significant improvements are made. The Senate is considering the legislation this week.
BAAJA includes important policies for which the CPC has advocated, including stronger federal authority to approve much-needed transmission lines to accelerate the clean energy transition. However, it also contains provisions that would undermine Tribal sovereignty and roll back key environmental laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act. As a result, the public would lose key tools used to protect the environment and hold the administration accountable against ICE detention centers, Trump vanity projects, and more.
The legislation also relies on an informal agreement with President Trump to end the Administration’s illegal blockade on clean energy, which he vowed to renege on this week, telling the press that he “will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.” The BAAJA legislation similarly does not address Trump’s illegal and ongoing withholding of $7.5 billion of appropriated clean-energy funds to states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.
The CPC’s official position is consistent with Democratic Leader Jeffries’ recent statement that the legislation “falls short in several areas” and ??that he “will not rubber-stamp legislation that emerges from the Senate without more constructive involvement with our Caucus as we fight to make life more affordable for the American people.”
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is made up of nearly 100 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests. The CPC champions policies including comprehensive immigration reform, good-paying jobs, fair trade, universal health care, debt-free college, climate action, and a just foreign policy. The caucus is the leading voice calling for bold and sweeping solutions to the urgent crises facing this nation, including ending America’s broken for-profit health care system, raising American wages, eliminating political corruption, supporting the labor movement, and taking action to protect the planet for generations to come.
