Chuck Schumer Killed the Bill That Would Have Helped Affordability After He Called It His North Star

October 3, 2026 Cat2, The Media
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Chuck Schumer told America in March that lowering costs would be his "North Star all year long."

Six months later he killed the bill that would have done it.

Now Chuck Schumer is campaigning on affordability while blocking every piece of legislation Republicans put on the floor that could actually deliver it.

The Pattern Republicans Saw Coming

This isn't a one-time flip.

It's a playbook.

In 2023, House Republicans passed the Lower Energy Costs Act – a sweeping bill to increase domestic energy production, cut permitting delays, and lower costs.

Schumer declared it "dead on arrival" before it reached the Senate floor.

When Republicans moved permitting reform this year – a bipartisan deal that both sides had spent months negotiating – Democrats walked away a week before the midterms.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso put it plainly: "Republicans are 100% committed to permitting reform. The Democrats – specifically Chuck Schumer – don't seem to care at all about what's happening around the country. They seem to be happier with higher energy costs."

Sen. Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma led the permitting push and watched it collapse in real time.

"I would tell you, all the chemistry, I think, was perfect for getting this deal done," he told Fox News Digital. "And that doesn't happen very often on such a complex issue. So it's very disappointing."

The deal is reportedly back on – but not until after the election, kicked to lame duck, where legislative ambitions go to die.

Wednesday's Vote Is the Latest Chapter

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats are set to block the data center bill from Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio – legislation designed to address surging electricity costs driven by AI data centers' voracious energy demands.

Only three House Democrats voted against it.

The bill passed with near-unanimous support.

But Schumer called it a fraud.

"Because we don't vote for frauds," he told reporters when asked why Democrats would sink it.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told Fox News Digital the political risk was low because "the bill does nothing."

Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said the American people could "see through just the politics of this."

That's rich coming from a party that has blocked energy bill after energy bill while running on a platform built around energy prices.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the pattern is impossible to miss.

"What you're seeing is that this is the party of no, can't take yes for an answer, and is interested in just trying to politicize everything going into the election," he said.

The Voters Paying For This

Electricity prices are up more than 9 percent since January, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

That's real money coming out of real Americans' wallets every month – and it's accelerating.

Data centers are driving demand higher.

The grid isn't keeping up.

And the party preaching affordability the loudest is the one voting to block the legislation that addresses it.

Schumer's excuse is that the data center bill lacks mandatory compliance requirements — companies don't have to follow it.

So debate it on the floor. Add teeth. Vote on Van Hollen's amendment. 

That's how a legislature works.

Instead, they're killing it before debate begins and heading home to fundraise on affordability.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama put the Senate math on the table: "We got 53 Republicans, you got to have 60. I'd have busted the filibuster a long time ago, and we would've had a lot more done. But we wasted a year and a half of President Trump."

Schumer Needs High Bills More Than He Needs Solutions

Schumer doesn't want solutions.

He wants issues.

A solved affordability problem helps Republicans.

An unsolved one helps Democrats – right up until Election Day.

That's the calculation.

That's why permitting reform collapsed the week before the midterms.

That's why energy bill after energy bill gets declared "dead on arrival" before a single debate takes place.

The voters who are opening electric bills right now are not a constituency to be served.

They're a prop.

They're the people Schumer points to in campaign ads while blocking the legislation that would have helped them.

He's been doing this for decades.

He's just never had the audacity to call it his North Star.

Sources:

  • Alex Miller, "Schumer preaches affordability in Dem midterm pitch while sabotaging GOP fixes for soaring costs," Fox News, September 30, 2026.
  • Deseret News, "Permitting reform talks fall apart in Senate," September 24, 2026.
  • Amelia Davidson, "Schumer promises energy affordability agenda," E&E News, March 18, 2026.
  • Senate Republican Leader, "Schumer Vows To Bury Affordable Energy In A Senate Graveyard," Senate GOP, April 18, 2023.
  • Axios, "Dems seek political lift on power-bill hikes, but it's no sure thing," August 29, 2025.