And that could cost Texas households money.
Coincidentally, the bill was filed in the House by a North Texan, U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, but he assured everyone via a press release that Democrats are just ginning up fake worries to detract from the bill's beauty.
“This is a smoke and mirrors tactic to try to deceive the American people into thinking that the One Big Beautiful Bill will benefit the top 10 percent at the expense of the bottom 10 percent. Ironically, the only thing Democrats are proving is that our policies are a massive success,” said Arrington in a press release while "debunking" some of the criticisms.
Last we checked, Musk, the very former head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, was not a Democrat, and even he doesn't like the OBBB. Hence, all the feudin'.
The megabill, which covers issues including border security, energy policy, Medicaid, SNAP benefits and significant tax cuts, was filed on May 16 and passed the House of Representatives by one vote, 215-214, just six days later. No Democrats voted for it. The bill is about 80 pages short of the typical length of a Bible, and Musk pointed out that the speed of its passage meant few lawmakers had enough time to read it in its entirety.Not even those in Congress who had to vote on the Big Ugly Spending Bill had time to read it! https://t.co/mBOQyhQYwX
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
Musk stepped down from his position within DOGE on May 28. On June 3, Musk took to his social media platform X to publicly and unabashedly condemn his former friend and coworker and the “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” as a “disgusting abomination.”
Trump broke his silence on June 5, saying he is “very disappointed in Elon,” in an interview with CNN, and relations between the pair spiraled down like an Olympic bobsled. Trump threatened to revoke any government contracts and subsidiaries involving Musk and his companies, Musk alleged the president is implicated in unreleased files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case, Trump defended the OBBB. Musk seemingly supported the president’s (second) impeachment, and Trump said his new foe has “lost his mind.”
And Arrington suggested that it's the Democrats who are distracting from the very important passage of a bill that likely no legislator has read. While we enjoy a good flamewar as much as anyone, perhaps some Texas lawmakers should give it a closer look.
“The girls are fighting, aren't they?” pic.twitter.com/JwxbuHhkMK
— George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 (@gtconway3d) June 6, 2025
The OBBB: Damning For Texas Energy
Among some of the many changes listed by the bill are cuts or alterations to tax credits for renewable and clean energy, manufacturing and industrial projects, transportation and vehicle companies and residential energy efficiency. In short, Musk’s many companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, and several other energy sector industry leaders could face much higher tax rates, discouraging ongoing developments, if the bill passes.Musk, a native of South Africa who now has a home in Austin, has been an outspoken critic of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the manager of the state's electric grid. He claims the grid is underprepared for the state's increasing electricity demands. The mogul launched Tesla Energy, a solar-powered home battery built to provide energy during blackouts, such the great Texas freeze of 2021, which shut down power across the state and cost hundreds of lives lost to bitter cold.
“The passing of the bill restricts tax breaks for clean energy investments,” said Nathan Schluter, an energy expert with Home Energy Club, a Texas-based energy consumer advocacy organization. “[For] any clean energy generation projects, they must begin construction within 60 days of the bill's passing and become operational by 2029 to qualify for the tax credits.”
Texas is the top energy producer in the country and generates more than 12% of the nation’s total energy supply, according to the Texas comptroller. It’s a driving economic force for the state, but the proposed tax credit cuts could cause divestments. According to a report from The Associated Press, $14 billion in clean energy projects in the country have been canceled so far in 2025. On May 30, the Department of Energy canceled $3.7 billion in projects related to clean energy developments. Over a quarter of the money was directed toward Texas facilities.
“The House’s plan coupled with the administration’s focus on stomping out clean energy and returning us to a country powered by coal and gas guzzlers is causing businesses to cancel plans, delay their plans and take their money and jobs to other countries instead,” executive director of E2, a nonpartisan policy advocacy organization, told the AP.
Industry experts are concerned about the 60-day rule. They point out that two months is an almost impossible deadline to meet, as significant projects can take years to get going because of complicated zoning and permitting requirements.
"Basing the deadlines on beginning-of-construction gave developers a crucial measure of certainty in planning projects: many kinds of projects take several years to build and may have uncertain construction timelines because of factors like supply chain uncertainty, permitting delays, transmission availability, tariffs, or other obstacles outside of a developer’s control," reads a report from New York Univeristy School of Law's Tax Law Center.
Average Texans Pay The Most
Musk isn’t the only stakeholder in clean energy in Texas. Since the 2021 power grid crash, the state has been encouraging investment in additional power sources as demand grows rapidly. Schluter warns that delays in energy generation developments could, in the worst-case scenario, decrease grid reliability and, at the very least, raise the average monthly electricity bill in Texas.“In short, [the OBBB] discourages clean energy generation, which has come to make up a significant percentage of the state's fuel mix,” he said. “If we lose out on those fuels, total capacity can decrease, while prices will likely increase.”
According to estimates from the Rhodium Group, a stall in energy developments in Texas could increase annual electricity costs by up to $325 per household by 2030. Another estimate from a study conducted by researchers at Princeton University estimates an increase in electricity bills in Texas by 17% over the next five years. Nearly a quarter of Texans already struggle to pay their electricity bills, according to another study from Home Energy Club.
“The ultimate impact on Texas households will mainly depend on how quickly the Senate acts and what changes, if any, are made to the House proposal,” read the report from Home Energy Club. “In the meantime, the state’s status as America’s renewable energy leader, along with the economic benefits that come with it, hangs in the balance.”
