Trump rolled back regulations for oil company campaign donors, Democrats say - Reuters

Trump rolled back regulations for oil company campaign donors, Democrats say | Reuters

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Trump rolled back regulations for oil company campaign donors, Democrats say

By Richard Cowan and Timothy Gardner

September 24, 202612:31 PM UTCUpdated ago

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!Senators Hold Press Conferences Following Weekly Luncheons

Item 1 of 3 US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference following the Democrat weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 23, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

**\[1/3]**US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a press conference following the Democrat weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 23, 2026.... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

* Summary

* Senate Democrats' report tracks hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending after Trump's $1 billion ask
* Report covers 19 EPA investigations, 13 into nine other agencies and 13 probes into 88 polluters
* White House rejects ​report as Democrats waste billions backing green energy industry

WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Two top Democrats in the US Senate launched a report on Thursday saying that oil and gas companies were rewarded with tax breaks, subsidies and rollbacks of environmental regulation after then-candidate Donald ​Trump asked them for $1 billion in donations during the 2024 campaign.

The report by Senators Chuck Schumer, ​the Democratic leader, and Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the environment committee, ⁠was based on 19 investigations of regulatory rollbacks by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 13 investigations into nine ​other agencies and 13 probes into what they called 88 polluters.

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The report says that hundreds of millions ​of dollars in campaign spending that it tracked after Trump's ask of the energy companies resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and revenues as the policies pushed consumers to purchase more fossil fuels.

"Working families foot the ​bill, through higher energy prices, weakened public services, and the long-term costs of climate and health damage, ​while Big Oil executives and shareholders reap the rewards," the report said. "This is, at its core, a massive transfer of ‌wealth."

The ⁠report could be a window into what issues Democratic lawmakers will hold hearings on should they take control of the Senate in November's midterm elections. The senators will hold a press conference on the report at 9:45 a.m. ET.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rodgers refuted the report.

"These Democrat Senators should do some self-reflection on their ​ties to the so-called ‘green’ ​energy industry. They wasted ⁠billions of American taxpayer dollars in the name of the Green New Scam," Rodgers said.

In the administration's latest move to dismantle environmental regulations, the EPA this ​month announced rules to repeal former President Joe Biden's limits on carbon emissions from ​coal and ⁠gas-fired power plants and to prevent future climate-focused regulations on them. The moves are part of Trump's efforts to unwind US climate policy that his administration says has hindered energy production.

The EPA said the move would save ⁠the ​industry hundreds of millions in compliance costs, while the Biden ​administration said its rule would result in hundreds of billion in benefits, including reduced medical bills for health problems caused by smog ​and other emissions.

Adds White House response paragraphs 6 and ‌7

Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Kevin Buckland and Nick Zieminski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

* Suggested Topics:
* Carbon Markets
* Sustainable Markets
* Regulatory Oversight
* Governance
* Gas

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Timothy Gardner

Thomson Reuters

Timothy reports on energy and environment policy and is based in Washington, D.C. His coverage ranges from the latest in nuclear power, to environment regulations, to U.S. sanctions and geopolitics. He has been a member of three teams in the past two years that have won Reuters best journalism of the year awards. As a cyclist he is happiest outside.

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