Federal Rollbacks on Clean Energy Are an Assault on our Health, Home, and Future - Especially for Latina Women

As families in California continue to struggle in their recovery from the historic wildfires that took place at the beginning of the year, they are simultaneously bracing for yet another summer of record-shattering heat and more frequent and severe wildfires. Meanwhile, the Trump administration and Congress are working aggressively to roll back clean energy and environmental policies. These rollbacks don’t just threaten our environment; they endanger the health, safety, and economic stability of Latina women and their families across the state. Latinas are more likely to live in neighborhoods near highways, industrial zones, or agricultural fields, areas with some of the worst air and water quality in the country. When environmental protections are weakened, Latina mothers, workers, and caregivers bear the heaviest burden.

CNC Action Fund’s recent statewide Energy & Environmental (E&E) survey results capture voter sentiments and oversampled Latinas on various energy and environmental state and federal policies. A few key federal findings show:

• 78% of respondents believe environmental conditions have worsened

• 83.6% oppose eliminating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• More than 69% support clean energy policies, like fuel-efficient vehicles and home solar incentives

The Republican-led House and Senate are using the budget reconciliation process to gut the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aiming to cancel over 794 clean energy projects throughout the country, including wind, solar, and battery storage facilities. These projects create jobs, lower pollution, and build a cleaner future, especially in underserved communities. Cutting them would jeopardize public health and economic opportunity for millions, including Latina workers and small business owners hoping to benefit from the clean energy transition.

Meanwhile, using the Congressional Review Act, the Trump administration and Congress have revoked California’s clean car waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency, taking away the power the state had to set stronger clean car standards. This waiver has been critical to protecting the lungs and lives of families in California. According to the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air, five of the ten U.S. cities with the worst air pollution are in California, many with large Latino populations, like Los Angeles, Visalia, and Fresno. Rolling back California’s ability to lead on emissions standards hurts families who already face higher asthma rates, transportation burdens, and limited healthcare access, disproportionately affecting Latina women and their children.

The image below shows questions from the E&E survey related to federal policies, along with it’s respective responses throughout the state and specific regions, and ties them to the executive or legislative vehicle of assault. This E&E survey results Federal hyperlink connects to a comprehensive spreadsheet containing this information.

Additional Background:

Budget Reconciliation Process: The budget reconciliation process is a special procedure used in Congress to quickly pass laws that relates to spending, taxes, and the federal debt. The reconciliation process is faster than regular lawmaking because it only requires a simple majority (51) of votes rather than the regular two-thirds vote (60) in the Senate. The Republican majority in the House and Senate are using the budget reconciliation process to make the president’s executive orders and priorities law. 

Congressional Review Act: The Congressional Review Act (CRA) was passed in 1996 and gives Congress the power to undo certain regulations made by government agencies. The Trump administration and Congress are using the CRA in an unprecedented way to nullify California’s clean car waivers. Despite the non-partisan Government Accounting Office and the Senate parliamentarian ruling that the waivers are not subject to the CRA, the President signed the congressional resolutions on June 12, 2025. These actions strip the state of its authority to set higher emissions standards and fuel-efficiency rules, policies proven to save lives and reduce pollution in frontline communities. This approach continues to be illegal, goes against years of precedent, and upends health protections that Republican leaders like Richard Nixon initially put into place to improve air quality in California.