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It’s been more than a week since Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, placed holds on three of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Treasury.
Flashback: Curtis placed the holds — which is fancy Congress speak for informing leadership you’ll object to the nominee, therefore slowing down the confirmation process — until he gets answers on how the Treasury Department will implement the phaseout of wind and solar tax credits. The phaseout was passed as part of Trump’s big, beautiful bill.
A source familiar with Curtis’ decision told me at the time that the senator wanted to meet directly with the department. It’s not clear if that’s happened just yet, and a spokesperson for the Treasury Department didn’t answer my request for comment.
Curtis’ holds haven’t done much to disrupt congressional proceedings — yet. The Senate is out on its annual August recess, so the group wouldn’t be doing much on this anyway.
But his objections have caused a stir and even caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, who took the time to criticize Curtis and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in an editorial on Thursday. (Grassley also placed holds on three of Trump’s nominees.)
“It’s been all of a month since Congress passed its big tax bill, and already some Republicans are trying to undermine its better parts,” the piece reads. “Behold how Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Utah’s John Curtis are taking President Trump’s Treasury nominees hostage to help their solar and wind friends.”
Much of the scuffle stems from how the Trump administration is going to enforce the law passed by Congress, with Curtis and Grassley citing concerns they’ll phase out wind and solar tax incentives more quickly than what lawmakers approved in the Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The bill gives companies a 12-month window to begin construction and still be eligible for the full subsidy that was previously passed under the Biden administration. That means if businesses begin construction by July 5, 2026, they’ll receive the credit for four years after the start date.
Those projects would then receive 100% of available subsidies, but must be placed in service by the end of 2027.
The source of disagreement is how the administration is going to define “begins construction.”
Trump signed an executive order just three days after enacting those phaseout instructions that ordered the Treasury to “ensure that policies concerning the ‘beginning of construction’ are not circumvented.” That’s what caused some confusion (and concerns) for Grassley and Curtis — and things got a little more complicated Friday afternoon when the Treasury released updated guidance, tightening the rules on what counts as having “started construction.”
Under previous guidelines, projects would qualify for the tax credits if the developer spent 5% of the project’s total cost. But not anymore, according to the new guidance reported by Bloomberg.
Now, projects would need to prove they’ve made significant headway on the project if they want to qualify for the tax incentives.
If those guidelines take effect, it appears to contradict what Trump signed into law.
When I asked the White House about possible changes to the guidelines — before the new guidance was out — a senior administration official told me this: “The administration intends to comply with the law and the president’s policy views on wind and solar energy, which were expressed at length during the campaign, in the lead-up to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and afterward.”
The WSJ editorial took aim specifically at that “begins construction” carveout that Curtis fought for, claiming he and Grassley want “to pressure the department to write a broad rule that lets projects qualify even if they haven’t, well, begun construction.”
This is how the editorial views that “begin construction” definition: “The renewables lobby wants to preserve the Obama IRS rules that loosely defined ‘begin construction’ to enable renewable developers to qualify for credits as long as they have spent 5% of a project’s total cost before the subsidies’ scheduled expiration. Merely buying a piece of construction equipment might count — even if it’s not specifically for the project.”
Curtis responded to the updated changes on Friday evening, noting he appreciated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent working with lawmakers to balance the parameters of the big, beautiful bill with the president’s executive order.
Here’s what Curtis said: “Throughout these conversations, we have shared the goal of responsibly ending the decades-long tax credits for these industries while providing a soft landing. I look forward to further reviewing these changes to understand their full impact.”
He added: “I will continue working to ensure Utah companies — and all American innovators — have the certainty and opportunity they need to deliver the future we all want: affordable, reliable, clean energy rooted in American ingenuity.”
Curtis’ office also pointed to job reports they say shows that the delayed phaseouts he secured in the legislative package saved thousands of jobs in the energy sector and bolstered the economy.
Stories driving the week
- DC meet DOD: President Donald Trump announced he would deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., following through with recent threats to take federal control of the nation’s capital after recent upticks in youth crime.
- Epstein victims will come to Capitol Hill: The victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will address the media on Capitol Hill — some for the first time publicly — when Congress returns from its annual recess in September.
- California map shake-up: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to redraw California’s congressional map in retaliation to a proposed map in Texas that would flip at least five seats to favor Republicans.
An inside look at faith organizations in Arizona
From time to time, I like to remind everyone that our D.C. bureau is a fierce team of two — and my colleague Lauren Irwin has been killing it with her national coverage.
Lauren hit the road last week traveling to Arizona and California evaluating the impacts of immigration enforcement on local communities. Her reporting gives us an on-the-ground perspective of what’s going on.
Here’s a taste of her first story, and keep an eye out for more stories in the coming days:
TUCSON, Ariz. — Sitting around Maria Eugenia Carrasco’s kitchen table on a particularly warm Monday evening in suburban Tucson, Arizona, she pointed out the lack of passing cars.
It used to be noisy with rush hour traffic whooshing by, she said. But now, the streets are quiet. People only leave the house if it is truly essential, she said, like for grocery shopping or dropping the kids off at school. A once bustling block of children playing or neighborhood dinner parties no longer happens. Even church has moved to a virtual experience, Carrasco said.
“People are just not going out,” she said, explaining this is true for undocumented immigrants, but also other community members as well. “They only come out for the most essential things.”
Dwindling work opportunities and growing fear of deportation has changed life for migrants in Tucson over the last six months.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data compiled by the Deportation Data Project, ICE arrests in Arizona have more than tripled in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2024, following President Donald Trump’s resolve to crack down on illegal immigration.
Quick Hits
From the Hill: Sen. Mike Lee writing new book against uniformity in Congress. … Trump wants Congress to approve a ‘small amount of money’ to make D.C. safer. … Trump and Adam Schiff feud deepens.
From the White House: Trump administration ‘looking’ at reclassifying marijuana. … Trump White House asks UCLA to pay $1 billion. Newsom calls it ‘ransom.’ …
From the courts: Could the Supreme Court consider same-sex marriage decision? … District court rules against Trump’s religious conscience rule. … Court ruling allows Trump administration to continue cutting foreign aid.
What’s next
The House and Senate remain on recess. I’m sure we’ll see more play out in terms of Washington, D.C., and Trump’s efforts to crack down on city crime. Hundreds of National Guard soldiers are still on their way to the city, and local government officials are extending juvenile curfews in some neighborhoods.
As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill.