Two Republican senators are seeking to slow the confirmation process for three of President Donald Trump’s Department of Treasury nominees, citing concern that the administration is moving to severely crack down on subsidies for solar and wind projects.
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Curtis of Utah have placed holds on three Treasury nominees to pressure the administration to share information regarding the implementation of solar and wind tax credit phaseout language within the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a source familiar with the holds. The two Republican senators, who have previously advocated against a wholesale repeal of wind and solar tax credits, are voicing concern that the administration is moving to decimate wind and solar subsidies on a faster timeline than allowed for in the president’s signature bill, which maintained some tax credits for green energy sources.
Grassley, a longtime advocate for wind energy who spearheaded the wind production tax credit, announced in the congressional record Friday that he has placed a hold on Jonathan McKernan, nominee for undersecretary of the Treasury; Francis Brooke, nominee for assistant secretary of the Treasury; and, Brian Morrissey, nominee for the department’s general counsel.
“During consideration of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, I worked with my colleagues to provide wind and solar an appropriate glidepath for the orderly phase-out of the tax credits,” Grassley said Friday in the congressional record. “Until I can be certain that such rules and regulations adhere to the law and congressional intent, I intend to continue to object to the consideration of these Treasury nominees.”
Though Curtis has yet to speak publicly about his holds, a source familiar with the senator’s plans said the Utah Republican wants to ensure the administration is following the law regarding the phase out of solar and wind tax credits. Curtis has previously argued that delaying the termination of wind and solar subsidies will provide investment certainty for project developers.
Grassley and Curtis were among a cohort of GOP senators who secured last-minute changes to the president’s sweeping tax and immigration-focused bill delaying the immediate phase out of solar and wind tax credits. The final text grants solar and wind developers a one-year window to begin construction and would allow the developers to claim the full subsidy for another four years if they spend just 5% of the project’s costs within that time frame.
However, an executive order issued by Trump on July 7 — just days after the president signed his landmark bill into law — went further than language negotiated in the president’s signature bill, giving some Senate Republicans heartburn who have fought to weaken the rollback of green energy subsidies.
Trump and most GOP lawmakers have consistently argued that green energy subsidies undermine the reliability of the U.S. power grid and jeopardize the country’s energy independence, citing China’s dominant role in the green energy supply chain.
The executive order notably directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “build upon and strengthen” the phaseout of green energy tax credits in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by aggressively enforcing the termination of solar and wind subsidies, including the issuance of new guidance regarding when developers must begin construction to qualify for federal tax credits.
Grassley has signaled that he will push back on forthcoming guidance from the Treasury Department if it departs from language within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“What it means for a project to ‘begin construction’ has been well established by Treasury guidance for more than a decade,” Grassley wrote in the congressional record Friday. “Moreover, Congress specifically references current Treasury guidance to set that term’s meaning in law. This is a case where both the law and congressional intent are clear.”
Any senator can place a “hold” on a nominee, which prevents the individual from receiving a speedy confirmation in the upper chamber. Senate Democrats have placed holds on nearly all of Trump’s nominees, requiring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to burn through hours of floor time to process nominations individually.
The majority leader has still managed to confirm 125 civilian nominees despite Democrats filibustering every Trump nominee except for Secretary of State Marco Rubio who was confirmed shortly after the president’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Spokespersons for Grassley and the White House did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
