MADISON, Wis. — Recent reporting from Heartland Signal highlights Tom Tiffany’s record of raising utility costs for Wisconsin’s working families. This follows his recent criticisms of We Energies, despite taking thousands in campaign donations from them. In Washington, Tiffany has voted to increase natural gas exports, in line with a Trump policy which hiked utility bills for the average family by $124 per month. He also supports the illegal war in Iran which is driving gas and diesel prices up and stripping consumer protections, all of which have driven the same utility rate hikes now hurting Wisconsinites.
Heartland Signal: Wisconsin governor candidate Tom Tiffany now critical of energy company that funded his election campaigns
By: Richard Eberwein
- TIFFANY APPROVED INCREASING NATURAL GAS EXPORTS
- Last November, Tiffany and 216 members of the U.S. House, including 11 Democrats, passed House Resolution 1949, a bill that would remove restrictions on natural gas imports and exports. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that if HR 1949 becomes law, it would likely increase electric utility rates to offset the costs associated with the bill.
- President Donald Trump has already increased natural gas exports in his second term, which has been shown to drive up the price of natural gas, which is used for roughly 40% of America’s electricity production.
- An analysis conducted by Public Citizen found that the average American family paid over $124 more on their utility bills in the first nine months of 2025, which coincided with Trump’s 22% increase in natural gas exports during that time.
- IRAN WAR SUPPORT
- As recently as last Wednesday, Tiffany endorsed Trump’s unprovoked war with Iran, including the president’s rhetoric about eliminating the entire Iranian civilization.
- Gas prices also exploded in the U.S. partially due to Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for oil transportation. The average gas price in Wisconsin rose to $3.82as of April 10, up from $2.93 on March 4.
- The increased prices for gas and diesel could also hit consumers in other ways. Amazon announced that a 3.5% fuel surcharge will be implemented against sellers on the platform starting on April 17 amid the effects from the Iran war. While the new fee will not directly impact consumers, some experts believe it will impact prices on Amazon.
- TIFFANY OPPOSED CONSUMER PROTECTIONS
- In 2022, Tiffany also voted against the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would have given the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the power to implement penalties on companies that engaged in price gouging and prohibit other exploitative practices.
- From 2013-20, Tiffany also served in the Wisconsin state Senate and on the influential Joint Finance Committee, which votes on items to include in the state’s biennial budget. In 2015, Tiffany and the Republicans on the committee voted to significantly reduce funding for the Citizen Utility Board, an organization that works to lower utility rates for customers in Wisconsin. The funding was partially restored in 2017 by Gov. Scott Walker (R).
