Let’s get real. We’re fed up with broken promises and unless we do something about it, it’s only going to get worse.
Here are the facts: The hardworking residents of the Rio Grande Valley matter, including ranchers raising cattle for generations, as well as farmers who have made the region the third largest producer of citrus in the U.S. With over 90% Latino population, the residents of the Valley rely on fé y familia – faith and family – to get them through. Many also trusted President Donald Trump when he said he’d cut their energy prices in half in 12 months.
One year in, that’s just one of the many broken promises by this president and one that is costing Valley residents the most: In 2025, energy bills in the region are up twice the rate of inflation.
Latino households spend 20% more on energy costs than the average U.S. household. Higher energy burdens are correlated with greater risk for respiratory diseases, increased stress and economic hardship, and difficulty getting out of poverty.
According to a Pew survey released in late November, two-thirds of those surveyed say the economic situation of U.S. Hispanics is worse today than it was a year ago, nearly double the amount who said so in Trump’s first term. Energy and utility bills were cited as the biggest struggle for Hispanics (36%), more than grocery bills, health care, or housing costs. In a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, only 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy despite the president giving himself an “A+++++” grade.
Adding to the pain, low-income households spend three times more on energy costs as a percentage of their income than non-low-income households, and Texas is one of the top five states projected to see higher electricity rates resulting from the Republican-led Big Ugly Bill signed by Trump on July 4.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Cleaner and cheaper energy from renewables, including solar and wind can meaningfully reduce electric bills. In 2024, 93% of new energy capacity added to the electric grid came from solar, wind and battery storage. Utility companies can drive down electric bills right now with a smart energy mix that doesn’t over-emphasize one energy resource over another.
Texans remember all too well Winter Storm Uri in 2021, when days-long power outages were attributed to frozen fuel lines at natural gas plants, with those plants failing at nearly twice the rate of renewables. Thankfully, today the Lone Star State is the undisputed leader in wind energy in the U.S. and ranks second in solar energy installed. The aptly-named Los Vientos Wind Farm in Willacy and Starr counties is leading the pack and is the second-largest wind farm in the country. The Rio Grande Valley has also become a hotbed of battery storage technology and manufacturing, with companies like GridStor helping to ensure that Texans are not left out in the cold again.
And yet, the Republican tax bill gutted incentives for renewables, making it harder to add cheaper, reliable energy to the mix. These incentives were helping to lower costs, add jobs, and clean our air.
This lack of common sense and decency by the MAGA regime in Washington will only mean more harm to our health and our wallets as evidenced by the healthcare cuts, and reduced access to care, voted into law by Rep. Monica de la Cruz, among others, in their Big Ugly Bill. When presented with a choice, too many Members of Congress chose not to fight for their constituents. And this is why we must fight for ourselves.
The Trump administration and Republicans are content with devaluing the lives of citizens if they think it will add value to their investment portfolios or political futures. Once again, the rich get richer, while the rest of us pay the price.
But actions have consequences. In our country, we get to decide who will represent us in Congress. As we enter this year’s election season, it’s time to assess our representation and decide who is truly listening to us and working toward shared values. That includes keeping the faith and the promise to take care of our families and create communities where everyone can afford to thrive. We deserve it. Let’s make it happen in 2026!
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned jointly by Katharine Pichardo, president and CEO of Latino Victory, and David Kieve, president of EDF Action, the political advocacy arm of the Environmental Defense Fund. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the authors.
