Republican lawmakers planning to extend US President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, also known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA),” are facing a clean-energy dilemma as significant investments in their districts clash with Trump’s skepticism of the industry.

This follows Trump, who once dismissed electric vehicles as a “hoax,” shifting his stance during his second term in office and even aligning himself with EV carmaker Tesla.

Eleven of the 26 Republicans on the House Ways & Means committee are now working on extending the 2017 tax cuts, representing areas that have seen billions in green energy investments in recent years.

Clean energy investments surged after President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which authorised hundreds of billions in uncapped clean energy tax credits for businesses. Since then, businesses have announced over USD 165 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments nationwide, as reported by Atlas Public Policy and Utah State University.

According to the report, over 75% of clean energy investments—amounting to nearly USD 125 billion—were directed toward congressional districts held by Republicans.

Representative David Kustoff of East Memphis, Tennessee, has highlighted automaker Ford’s investment in a new hub for electric F-series pickups, which was funded by the legislation. Ford and its South Korean partner, SK Innovation, have invested around USD 6.5 billion in the district over the past four years. Ford is actively collaborating with lawmakers to preserve the tax credits.

Meanwhile, the White House is actively working to advance the chamber’s budget, that new revenue to offset potential tax bill costs will come from repealing green energy tax credits “to the fullest extent possible.”

Automakers Honda and General Motors also invested billions in electric vehicle battery plants, targeting the next two districts with the committee’s highest concentration of clean energy investments.

Representative Mike Carey celebrated the 2,000 jobs Honda will bring to his district near Columbus, Ohio. At the same time, Representative Rudy Yakym said he was “thrilled about this historic investment” regarding GM’s 2023 investment, which created 1,700 manufacturing jobs in South Bend, Indiana.

A GM spokesperson stated that the advanced manufacturing tax credits “advance US leadership in critical technologies,” prompting the automaker to announce the creation of thousands of jobs in three states: Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana.