Boston (December 22, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the Trump administration issued an order to suspend leases on five under-construction offshore wind projects, including the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project, which has been operating and delivering energy to the New England grid while its remaining turbines are constructed. If they persist in attempts to turn off this offshore wind power plant, the Trump administration will shut off enough electricity to power 400,000 homes, eliminate $3.7 billion in energy cost savings, and kill thousands of jobs.

“Shutting off an operating offshore wind power plant would kill local union jobs and hike our energy bills. Vineyard Wind 1 is currently delivering affordable and reliable power into our grid and has the permits, financing, and approval to deliver even more,” said the lawmakers. “Trump’s vendetta against American-made energy and union jobs makes our nation weaker, our costs higher, and our families less certain about how they’re going to make ends meet. We need all the affordable, reliable, and clean electricity we can get on the grid—we don’t need the Trump administration playing unlawful games with our power sector. Earlier this month, the courts rightly threw out the Trump’s unlawful executive order and agency actions that attempted to ban offshore wind, so today’s groundless blind-side against the industry should not be allowed to stand. And as sitting lawmakers, we demand to see the classified reports the Trump administration is waving around to justify this bizarre attack on our grid.”

The Vineyard Wind plant has received all necessary permits and approvals for operation and construction, and it directly employed nearly 1,800 workers during its construction—more than half of whom were union workers operating under a project labor agreement. Of those union workers, 70 percent were from southeastern Massachusetts. Most of Vineyard Wind 1’s turbines are already online and delivering affordable power to the Massachusetts grid.

Senators Markey and Warren were joined in blasting this anti-worker move by local union leaders.

“President Trump’s order suspending leases for five offshore wind projects currently under construction is a layoff notice for many union trades workers just three days before Christmas,” said Frank Callahan, President of the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions. “It also means higher utility bills for those same workers and everyone else in Massachusetts.”

"President Trump’s most recent attack on the working class pulls the rug out from hundreds of construction workers who rely on the Vineyard Wind 1 project to support their families, and will make energy bills even more expensive for working families,” said Chrissy Lynch, President of the MA AFL-CIO. “Our neighbors, our friends, and our family members will be out of a job this holiday season, and their energy bills will be even higher because of the Trump Administration’s reckless and asinine attack on a project that is almost complete. Massachusetts needs the jobs and energy from this project, and Trump is putting personal politics over the needs of working class people.”

"We are extremely disappointed to hear that good paying jobs at offshore wind projects are being cancelled,” said Andy Benedetto, Representative of the Millwrights Local 1121 of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “There are currently 80 union millwrights on the Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind projects who have effectively been fired during Christmas week. Hundreds of other union millwrights, pile drivers and other workers have had future work erased. Economic activity from these projects don't just benefit our members, but the local economies in which they spend their pay. Offshore wind farms have also been a catalyst for other infrastructure and industry investments that would bring long-term economic benefits to the region. We hope this decision will be reversed so that those benefits may be realized."

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