Reframing the Narrative

This Week's Trend In Brief:

• Republicans in Washington have long pushed to repeal IRA and IIJA clean energy incentives, echoing Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda – but as the House-passed reconciliation bill moves that vision closer to reality, voices on the right are beginning to push back.

   

• The newly launched Built for America campaign is targeting Trump and his inner circle from the right, using his own “America First” language to argue that repealing these incentives would hurt red-state economies, stall job growth, and hand a competitive edge to China.

   

• While many Republicans in Congress remain opposed, state and local GOP leaders and business allies are joining the campaign, reframing the law’s benefits in terms that resonate more locally, arguing that advancing American energy in all its forms is central to Trump’s economic vision.

   

• These voices, armed with credibility and community ties, are challenging the dominant narrative and positioning the incentives as essential to national security, economic resilience, and U.S. manufacturing strength.

   

• This moment is a clear reminder that the parties are not always monolithic, and that the most durable narratives are not just shaped by national rhetoric, but by local realities and voices with the right credibility among the right stakeholders.

Digging Deeper:

A new GOP-aligned group, Built for America, is defending Biden-era clean energy incentives from the right, even as Trump loudly denounces the incentives and reiterates his previous vows to repeal them as a part of his “energy dominance” agenda. As we noted before the election, “Trump and Republican control of Washington view energy dominance as fossil fuel boosting and remain skeptical of renewables and other clean energy technologies, potentially complicating the industry’s priorities and investments.” When budget reconciliation negotiations began, we noted that House Republicans’ plan to repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) aligned with Trump’s 2026 budget blueprint, which seeks to “roll back support for wind, solar, and other emissions-reduction efforts while paving the way for expanded oil and gas development on public lands.” Now, as the reconciliation bill passed by House Republicans has made some of Trump’s vision a reality, voices on the right are emerging to push back.

The Built for America campaign is specifically targeted at Trump and his inner circle from the right, casting the IRA and IIJA provisions Republicans oppose as a potential Trump-era economic success in reality. Targeting conservative media channels like Fox News, Truth Social, and right-leaning podcasts, the $2 million campaign uses Trump’s own “America First” language to argue that repealing these tax credits would hurt red-state economies, stall job growth, and cede industrial leadership to China. The campaign argues that “Trump country is booming” thanks to the incentives, contending the “credits give us the edge in batteries, semiconductors, nuclear, and geothermal—critical industries we can’t afford to lose.” The campaign estimates that the repeal of these credits would result in the loss of 4.4 million American jobs and “$1 trillion ripped from our economy,” while threatening the U.S.’s “independence, strength, and security.” The push coming from an unlikely corner highlights that for an emerging sector of the right, the IRA’s and IIJA’s clean energy incentives are less about the climate but about economic development, manufacturing leadership, and energy security at home.

While Republican opposition to the IRA remains strong in Washington, a different story is unfolding on the ground, where state and local leaders, many of them conservative, are seeing firsthand how IRA-driven investments are transforming their districts. From battery manufacturing in Georgia to hydrogen hubs in Texas and carbon capture projects across the Gulf Coast, the law’s incentives are helping fuel growth in areas that Trump won handily in both 2016 and 2020. Now, conservatives like those with the Built for America campaign are advocating to preserve specific IRA and IIJA incentives seen as critical to sustaining American interests, and that reality is shifting the politics around the law. As companies break ground on new factories and hire workers in rural and industrial regions, local leaders and communities, regardless of party, are finding common cause in protecting those investments. Built for America is tapping into that trend, arguing that advancing American energy in all forms is crucial to Trump’s “America First” agenda. These voices, armed with credibility and community ties, are beginning to challenge the dominant narrative, reframing the law’s benefits as essential to national security, economic resilience, and American manufacturing.

That reframing is gaining traction, as other groups, such as a coalition that includes Microsoft, Ford, NRG, and Rivian, are working to preserve key IRA and IIJA provisions with similar arguments. Launched by Advanced Energy United, the coalition campaign focuses on persuading Senate Republicans by pairing digital ads with direct engagement from local energy firms, all making the case that the law is a driver of jobs and innovation, not just emissions reductions. Similar efforts targeted House Republicans earlier this year. The message echoes others emerging in recent weeks, that repealing the IRA would hit red-state economies hardest and jeopardize private sector momentum already underway. For the energy industry, this emerging crosscurrent within the Republican Party marks a critical moment. While the threat of repeal remains, the growing chorus of GOP-aligned voices backing specific IRA and IIJA programs could reshape the debate if industry moves quickly to amplify those voices and clarify the stakes. As partisan lines around the incentives become less distinct, companies across the energy industry must contend with a federal landscape that is less ideologically consistent and more fragmented. What survives from the reconciliation process may depend as much on grassroots narratives and state-level advocacy as on Hill negotiations.

This moment is a clear reminder that the parties are not always monolithic, and that the most durable narratives are not just shaped by national rhetoric, but by local realities and voices with the right credibility among the right stakeholders. For public affairs teams, that means looking beyond familiar battle lines and recognizing where new coalitions are forming. To meet this moment, they must understand where the pressure points lie, which stakeholders matter most, and how to shape the narrative before others define the terms. The conservative momentum to protect the incentives shows how the right message, delivered by the right messenger, can disrupt entrenched narratives and reshape the conversation around core industry priorities. Success in this environment will not come from playing defense alone. It will come from anticipating shifts, shaping perception early, and ensuring that the industry’s interests are framed in terms that resonate where it matters most. With the right playbook, companies can stay ahead of shifting dynamics, manage risk, and help shape the future of energy leadership.

Trends in Energy is your weekly look at key trends affecting the energy industry, brought to you by the competitive intelligence experts at Delve. As the political and regulatory landscape continues to shift, reach out to learn how our insights can help you navigate these challenges.