On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Rep. Rob Menendez attended a House Energy Committee hearing and blasted House Republicans for not checking on Donald Trump’s authority.
He accused the House GOP of “sitting idly” as the POTUS continued to make shocking changes when it comes to federal agencies.
“Over the past year, we’ve watched President Trump continually attack our federal agencies and their staff, actively hamstringing their ability to carry out their critical missions and service to our country. And all the while, House Republicans have sat by idly and let it happen,” Menendez said.
Then, he went on to attack the House Republicans for Trump’s energy strategy. In the past, the POTUS has often described climate science as a “hoax” or “scam.”
Republicans don’t get to pretend this is business as usual when it comes to nuclear safety while Trump is making our communities less safe (including undermining the independent nuclear energy safety commission). 🤔
That’s why I called them out at @EnergyCommerce ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ucRyEnacRG
— Rep. Rob Menendez (@RepMenendez) January 8, 2026
Addressing the House Committee, Menendez said, “House Republicans loudly proclaim the need for more energy to keep up with demand from AI data centres and to compete with foreign adversaries. Some argue for an all-of-the-above energy strategy, but only when it’s convenient for them.”
He continued, “Suddenly, when the conversation turns to connecting clean renewable energy to the grid and actually addressing the need for more energy, they don’t want an all-of-the-above strategy anymore.”
Menendez added, “I think everyone on this committee can agree that nuclear energy poses significant safety risk and environmental concerns for the American people that we must address regardless of your stance on nuclear. This is just a plain and simple fact.”
He further delved into Trump’s previous NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) move. “Since taking office, President Trump illegally fired NRC Commissioner Hansen years before his term ended. He has made other commissioners feel as though they could be fired at any moment if they go against the administration.”
“[Trump] set expectations that NRC would rubber stamp reactor designs given to them by the administration, issued several executive orders targeting NRC, installed DOGE staff at NRC to bypass commissioners and pushed out senior staff who are critical for NRC operations,” Menendez pointed out.
President Trump is further SECURING AMERICAN ENERGY by:
❌ Eliminating subsidies for unreliable “green” energy sources.
✅ Preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable energy policies from the Green New Scam. pic.twitter.com/Lz7WUjcBQU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 21, 2025
“That’s in addition to cuts to Department of Energy staff who are responsible for nuclear energy programs. None of this helps ensure that the deployment of nuclear technology is safe for the American people, nor does it help the nuclear industry in any way,” he noted.
Rob Menendez explained that it’s not just his energy strategy that House Republicans are not holding Donald Trump accountable for, but also his Medicaid and AI cuts, and the rising living costs.
“And this is after the president gave himself an A+++ on his handling of the economy. But our colleagues refuse to hold the president accountable,” he stated.
“So, how can we expect to have a meaningful bipartisan discussion on critical safety issues while House Republicans completely ignore the harmful actions of this president? There’s a complete lack of accountability on this committee and the House at large. And it’s hurting the American people,” said Menendez.
