Conservatives Back Trump Budget Bill Following Promises on Renewable Energy Oversight
Hardline conservatives in the House say they secured a key assurance from President Donald Trump that helped clinch their support for the Republican budget reconciliation bill: strict enforcement of renewable energy tax credit rules, Politico reports.
Lawmakers, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, indicated that Trump’s pledge to closely monitor how wind and solar projects qualify for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits played a decisive role in their decision to back the legislation.
“He’s going to make sure that the companies that apply for solar credits are actually doing what they say — when they say they’ve started construction,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said Thursday on CNBC. “He’s going to make sure they’ve done that.”
While the president lacks authority to change the credits directly, conservatives say Trump’s commitment to rigorous oversight helped address their concerns about what they saw as overly generous or vague qualification standards for renewable projects.
The final version of the Senate-passed budget measure includes compromise language that alters how long energy projects have to qualify for tax credits. Under the revised rules, projects that begin construction within the next year will still be eligible for current incentives. Projects starting later must be in service by 2027 to qualify.
This contrasts with the House version, favored by conservatives, which allowed only a 60-day window to begin construction.
Critics of the Senate version also objected to a “safe harbor” clause allowing companies to qualify by spending just 5% of total project costs — a provision they feared could be misused.
Conservatives said Trump pledged to tighten how that rule is applied, emphasizing construction timelines and limiting vague or minimal efforts to meet eligibility.
“They can’t take a backhoe out there and dig a ditch and say that’s construction,” Norman said.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) echoed the importance of Trump’s assurances: “That was huge,” he said, referring to the president’s support for stricter oversight on renewable energy credits.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) acknowledged Trump’s role in helping unify Republican lawmakers behind the megabill. In remarks Thursday morning, he said the president and administration officials had answered questions from skeptical GOP members and helped move the bill forward.
“The president helped answer questions. We had Cabinet secretaries involved, and experts in all the fields,” Johnson told reporters.
The megabill, a sweeping package central to Trump’s legislative agenda, faced stiff resistance from some House conservatives due to provisions like the renewable energy credit language. After a marathon overnight session, GOP leadership expressed confidence in passing the bill ahead of Trump’s stated July 4 deadline.
While Republicans say they’ve secured verbal commitments from the Trump administration, details on implementation remain unclear. Trump has not formally announced how the oversight mechanisms will change or when enforcement policies would take effect.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Still, for many conservative lawmakers, the promise of executive action — even if limited to enforcement — was enough to win their votes.
“Trump gave assurances that changes were going to be made, particularly with getting permits,” Norman said, though he did not elaborate.
The debate reflects broader Republican skepticism of the Inflation Reduction Act, particularly its support for clean energy initiatives. While Democrats argue the law is essential to fighting climate change and creating green jobs, GOP critics see it as an example of excessive federal spending and government overreach.
The final House vote on the bill is expected soon. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is currently delivering an extended floor speech in protest, seeking to delay passage through a procedural tactic known as the “magic minute.”
