Trump administration’s solar for all cuts leave native american communities without clean energy promise

Native American communities across the northern Plains are grappling with the devastating impact of the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Solar for All program in August 2025. The program, funded through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act with $7 billion nationwide, promised to bring free residential solar panels to low-income households, including 200 homes on Montana’s Rocky Boy’s Reservation alone.

Joseph Eagleman, CEO of the Chippewa Cree Energy Corporation, had already installed the first solar array under the program, which eliminated a resident’s $200-300 monthly electricity bills. With 40 households lined up for installation and a coalition of 14 tribal nations receiving $135 million in grants, the sudden program cancellation felt like “a gut punch.” The cuts particularly sting for communities where electricity bills can reach $900 monthly and 35% of residents live below the poverty line—more than double the national rate.

Beyond individual hardship, the program’s termination destroyed economic development opportunities. Solar installer Zane Patacsil and community coordinator Donica Brady lost their jobs, while tribal members who planned to start solar businesses saw their dreams evaporate. For leaders like Cody Two Bears of Indigenized Energy, solar power represented more than cost savings—it embodied energy sovereignty and self-sufficiency that tribal communities have long sought.

Despite four federal lawsuits challenging the cuts and advocates continuing to seek alternative funding, residents like Northern Cheyenne elder Thomasine Woodenlegs remain trapped by high energy costs. Her $400-500 monthly bills on a fixed income exemplify how the program’s cancellation perpetuates energy insecurity across Indian Country, where promises of federal support have repeatedly been broken.