Trump’s energy agenda killed hundreds of Michigan jobs. Thousands more could be next.

A new report shows the Trump administration’s energy agenda has already wiped out hundreds of clean energy jobs across Michigan, with far more hanging in the balance.

MICHIGAN— After two years of clean energy growth, Michigan’s momentum may be stalling.

A new report released this week by Climate Power shows that since President Donald Trump was elected, workforce reductions have already hit four major clean energy facilities across the state—ultimately costing Michiganders nearly 600 jobs over the last four months.

And thousands more could be on the chopping block as the president’s energy agenda reshapes the state’s economy—stalling investments, delaying projects, and creating uncertainty for manufacturers that had once counted on stable federal tax credits to expand in Michigan.

“Michigan is on the move. … But thousands of these jobs and billions in funding are at risk due to tariffs and pushes to repeal historic clean energy investments,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement announcing the new report on Wednesday. “This report highlights how important it is for us to work together to protect these historic investments that are driving Michigan’s clean energy economy and helping us create good-paying jobs in communities across our state.”

Here’s the Deal:

Since January, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping effort to roll back Biden-era clean energy programs, impose new tariffs, and freeze a wide array of federal incentives. And those policies are now threatening to unravel two years of economic growth tied to solar power, electric vehicle (EV) battery plants, and other clean energy projects across the country.

Courtesy/Climate Power

According to the Climate Power report, layoffs and closures have already hit four clean energy employers across Michigan in the months since Trump took office. 

Among them:

• General Motors, Factory Zero (Hamtramck): This month, GM laid off about 200 workers at its EV battery production facility, citing “market dynamics.” The cuts target the battery pack area and the company has no plans to rehire for the positions.
• ZF North America (Marysville): A $157.7 million federal investment for EV component production, which supported more than 500 jobs, was canceled after Trump took office, halting plans to modernize the facility and expand its workforce, according to the report.
• Samsung SDI (Auburn Hills): The company laid off 179 workers at its automotive battery headquarters in January. While no specific reason was publicly cited by the company, the cuts follow a pattern of job losses amid clean energy uncertainty.
• Akasol (Warren and Hazel Park): Two Michigan battery plants are being permanently closed this spring and all 188 workers are being laid off as production shifts out of state.

Together, those layoffs, stalled projects, and facility closures amount to hundreds of jobs lost or soon to be eliminated—and advocates warn they may only be the beginning of more to come.

“Trump’s war on clean energy and his chaotic policies have already caused a hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs in sectors that had been booming for two years,” Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power, said in a statement. “Repealing clean energy investments would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs on its own. On top of this crisis of uncertainty, repeal would devastate American manufacturing—halting construction, sending jobs overseas, hiking energy costs, and forfeiting the future to China and our other competitors.”

What’s next?

The Climate Power report bills the recent layoffs in Michigan’s clean energy sector as a warning shot. Dozens of additional clean energy projects across the state are now listed as threatened or at risk—representing nearly $40 billion in future investment and over 25,000 jobs in electric vehicle batteries, solar components, hydrogen production, and clean utility infrastructure.

Courtesy/Climate Power

Among the largest projects with uncertain futures:

• DTE Energy received a federal loan commitment of up to $8.8 billion in January before Trump’s inauguration to support renewable energy installations and natural gas pipeline replacements. The financing came through the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office—but its future under the Trump administration remains unclear.
• Consumers Energy secured a separate $5.2 billion conditional loan for similar clean energy upgrades and pipeline replacements. That financing also remains in limbo, as Trump appointees begin reshaping federal loan priorities.
• In Osceola County, a proposed potash and salt mine backed by a $1.3 billion federal loan guarantee also now faces deep uncertainty. The loan commitment was announced just three days before Trump took office, and may be vulnerable to reversal as the administration reassesses Biden-era approvals, the Detroit Free Press reports.
• In Plymouth, a $400 million hydrogen gigafactory proposed by Nel Hydrogen has been placed on hold. While the company previously secured $170 million in tax incentives, it cited a lack of long-term policy certainty and supportive market conditions as reasons for pausing its final investment decision. The facility has been set to employ more than 500 workers and serve as a key part of the state’s growing hydrogen economy.

All told, the report shows that 74 clean energy projects in Michigan (including several already under construction) are now at risk. And if federal clean energy tax credits are repealed entirely, advocates warn that many of those investments could soon vanish—and take jobs with them.

The Bigger Picture

Nationally, the report shows that nearly 63,000 clean energy jobs have already been lost or threatened during Trump’s first three months in office. That includes 95 projects either canceled or delayed—representing a total of more than $71 billion in lost investment since January.

If federal clean energy tax credits are repealed altogether, Climate Power estimates that nearly 400,000 more jobs across 49 states could be lost—including tens of thousands in Michigan.

For now, some of those investments are still moving forward. But advocates—including the authors of the Climate Power report—warn that more clean energy projects could soon be derailed without a clear, stable federal policy to back the country’s transition to clean energy.

READ MORE: Trump offers automakers some relief on his 25% tariffs

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