AOC Grills Trump Official Over Clean Energy Cuts: 'Have You Seen Any Effort To Replace These Jobs Lost?' [View all]

[bigtree]

Sep 16, 2025
During a House Energy Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) asked Acting General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel Jeffrey Novak about the Trump administration's cuts to clean energy programs

watch:

transcript:

Um, are you familiar with how many uh Americans are employed by the energy efficiency sector nationally?

I am not.

It's about uh 2.3 million 2.3 million workers. About two out of every five energy jobs in the United States are related to energy efficiency.

Um, can you guess what is the fastest growing category of energy efficiency work in the United States?

I'm not particularly good at guessing.

So, yes, construction.

Okay.

So, these are construction jobs. Energy efficiency energy effic efficiency jobs are construction jobs, installation, production, manufacturing, HVAC, building materials, all of it.

Um, now do you know how many jobs have been threatened or lost due to the Trump administration's closures of clean energy projects in the last 6 months or so, the first half of this year?

I'm I'm not aware of any such analysis.

91,000. Trump administration and Department of Energy policies have cost Americans 91,000 jobs nationwide in roll backs on efficiency. And you know, these large numbers are statistics. I think people to understand when they show up on a white paper, but in Colorado's 8th district, Amprius Technologies canceled plans to construct a $190 million battery plant in Brighton, Colorado.

In that same district, actually, another company, VSSK Energy, canceled plans from due to the Trump administration um canceled their plans to build solar panels, and they scratched a $250 million investment and up to 900 jobs in that same district.

In Georgia, 12, an EV plant was cancelled due to the Trump administration and DOE's freezing of the EV charging program.

Georgia uh has a population of 157 people. They lost out on 166 jobs. More jobs. They lost more jobs than they have people in that town because of the cancellation and war on renewable energy and clean energy. Here in that same district, a copper foil manufacturing plant went bankrupt as a result of these roll backs.

And Augusta, Georgia lost out on 350 jobs. And I mean, the list goes on. In South Carolina, 250 jobs... construction of an EV plant in Florence was halted due to DOE's freezing of funds. I mean, we could go on.

In Michigan 10th, 167 jobs were lost after $50 million worth of investment. These are all freezes in renewable and clean energy construction and development projects.

This is an industry that has been a source of jobs and growth. This administration, the Trump administration is destroying the American economy, destroying American jobs. 91,000 jobs in this sector alone. I have one simple question. in these towns and areas. What is the DOE's plan to replace those jobs in those affected areas?

Um, I'll say this is this is beyond the scope of what I'm prepared to testify to today. I'd be happy to take the question of the record in regard to the analysis that you cited here regarding job loss.

So in your view uh you're the general counsel for the department of energy.

That's correct. I'm acting, acting....

And in all that you've seen, have you seen any effort to replace these jobs that are being canceled by the administration?

Um I have not I'm not sure that would come my way, but...

So we're seeing a concerted effort. 91,000 jobs already gone. Now, this is after the administration has also already released a revised report saying we have a million less jobs in this economy than there was originally reported.

We're actively killing plants and projects in rural places across this country. And I'm hearing today that there's no effort to replace them.

And my time is up. I'll I yield back.


Yes. I, I can't can answer the, the

question because I haven't seen the

analysis, but I'd be happy to take the

question for the record.