A Review of the Impacts of QEW’s 2025 IRA Campaign
Introduction
In late 2024, following President‑elect Trump’s victory and bleak prospects for climate legislation, Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) embarked on a bold campaign: “Protect Our Earth | Save the IRA.” Inspired by a presentation at the FCNL Annual Meeting outlining how more than half of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) clean‑energy investments flowed to Republican districts[1], we saw a narrow but real opportunity. If moderate Republicans could be persuaded to protect the IRA’s tax credits—because their districts were benefitting—there was a path to keep billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs from vanishing.
Our campaign was grounded in Quaker values of peace, truth‑telling and stewardship. It sought to tell stories, organize Friends nationwide, and apply targeted pressure on key lawmakers. Between December 2024 and July 2025, we mobilized hundreds of Quakers, built a data‑driven advocacy infrastructure and partnered with allies across the political spectrum. Although the reconciliation bill signed on July 3 ultimately slashed much of the IRA, our campaign achieved meaningful victories and strengthened our capacity for future climate justice work.
Campaign Structure
Data & Strategy
- District targeting. QEW created an original spreadsheet linking every IRA project to its congressional district and funding source. This allowed us to prioritize 22 House districts and three key Senate seats (Utah, Arizona, North Carolina). The internal “IRA District Leads Checklist” matched each priority district with volunteer “district leads” who would coordinate local actions and report back weekly.
- Action Hours & Community Mobilization. From March through June we held monthly Action Hours. Each session included spiritual grounding, policy updates and a live advocacy push. Participants logged calls or emails to their representatives in real time while sharing reflections in the chat.
- Tools & Messaging. Our Call Script and Letter‑writing Guide outlined talking points that resonated across party lines: jobs, rural investment and fairness. Emphasis was placed on the 75–85 % of IRA projects in Republican districts[1], the moral imperative to protect life, and the broad bipartisan support for clean‑energy jobs. Volunteers were supplied with district‑specific fact sheets and templates.
Volunteer Engagement
- District Leads Program. We recruited over 20 district leads by March 2025. Each lead was asked to organize a local rally, collect 500 constituent contacts, place an op‑ed in the local paper, build a coalition with workers and environmental groups, and recruit 10 new volunteers. While not every goal was met, the program provided a clear structure and cultivated committed organizers across the country.
- Quaker Meetings and Organizations. Through our letter‑writing sign‑up we engaged 371 Quaker meetings and allied organizations. Over half of these groups committed to sending letters or emails to lawmakers. In addition, we sent personalized letters to 57 monthly meetings in targeted districts.
- Partnerships. We worked closely with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Environmental Voter Project, Climate Power, and local environmental justice organizations. QEW staff served on panels at FCNL’s lobby weekend, deepening relationships and aligning strategies.
Legislative Outreach
Our volunteers achieved direct contact with lawmakers at multiple levels:
- Washington, DC lobbying. QEW staff traveled to Washington in February 2025 to meet with congressional offices and to speak on an FCNL panel about the importance of the IRA. This visibility sparked new partnerships with groups like CA Environmental Voters and brought national attention to our campaign.
- District‑level meetings. District leads organized in‑person visits with staffers for Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA‑03), Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA‑02), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY‑02) and Sen. John Curtis (UT). In Iowa, a district lead authored an op‑ed in a local paper that highlighted the IRA’s benefits and urged Rep. Mariannette Miller‑Meeks to oppose repeal.
- Mass outreach. According to our Results Analysis spreadsheet, volunteers logged 354 unique phone calls and 1,106 unique emails to members of Congress. An estimated additional 238 phone calls were placed during our Action Hours. These numbers reflect only those reported; actual totals were likely higher. Beyond direct lobbying, 57 letters were sent to monthly meetings encouraging them to mobilize their members.
Outcomes & Impact
Policy Results
Our campaign could not prevent the passage of the reconciliation bill (the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”), but it did help mitigate some of the worst provisions. The final bill:
- Removed the 60‑day “cliff” and allowed projects a standard four‑year begin‑construction window. Advocates warned the House bill’s 60‑day construction requirement would create a sharp cliff[2]; its removal preserved a pathway for hundreds of wind and solar projects.
- Retained transferability of tax credits, ensuring municipalities, schools, tribes and nonprofits can continue to monetize credits.
- Delayed the repeal of the main production and investment credits. Wind and solar credits now phase down starting in 2026 and end for new construction after 2027. While devastating compared to the IRA, this two‑year reprieve buys time to fight for a restoration.
- Extended and improved carbon‑capture and clean‑fuel credits.
We did not succeed in preserving consumer‑level incentives (EV and home‑efficiency credits), and the phase‑down for clean‑energy credits was much faster than under the IRA. Large environmental‑justice programs were rescinded. The final law also mandated public‑land sales and lowered fossil‑fuel royalty rates. Nonetheless, the removal of the 60‑day cliff and the retention of transferability are meaningful defensive wins.
Movement Impact
- Strengthened networks. The campaign expanded QEW’s reach. Hundreds of Quakers engaged in federal advocacy for the first time. District leads built lasting relationships with local groups and staffers. We cultivated deeper partnerships with FCNL and other national organizations.
- Data‑driven advocacy capacity. Our district mapping and spreadsheet work gave QEW a unique resource that other organizations lacked. This capability will benefit future campaigns and can be shared with partners.
- Leadership development. Volunteer leads gained experience in lobbying, public speaking and coalition‑building. Many expressed interest in continuing advocacy beyond this campaign. The sense of agency and community built through Action Hours will carry into future climate justice efforts.
- Moral witness. Throughout the campaign, we grounded our work in prayer and Quaker testimonies. Our calls and letters bore witness to the ethical stakes of climate policy. Even in defeat, our nonviolent, truth‑centered approach offered a counter‑narrative to the cynicism dominating national politics.
Final Numbers (from internal tracking)
| Metric | Count |
| District leads recruited | 20+ |
| Quaker meetings/orgs engaged | 371 |
| Phone calls logged | 354 unique + 238 estimated |
| Emails sent | 1,106 |
| Letters to monthly meetings | 57 |
| Lobby visits & op‑eds | 5+ in‑person meetings; 1 published op‑ed |
Note: The counts above are minimum figures; additional unreported calls and emails likely occurred.
Reflections & Lessons
- Framing matters. Emphasizing jobs, fairness and local economic benefits resonated across political divides. Highlighting that 85 % of investments and 68 % of jobs were in Republican districts[1] helped persuade moderate lawmakers and their constituents that protecting the credits aligned with their interests.
- Data is power. Our ability to show lawmakers exactly which projects in their districts were at risk proved invaluable. Other organizations now look to QEW’s mapping as a model for targeted advocacy.
- Grassroots advocacy works—even defensively. Although we could not stop the overall bill, our efforts contributed to meaningful concessions. The two‑year reprieve could allow time for a more favorable political landscape and for new investments to take root.
- Spiritual grounding sustains advocacy. Many participants shared that centering worship and reflection in our Action Hours provided the courage to keep calling, writing and lobbying in the face of setbacks. This spiritual foundation is a distinctive asset QEW brings to climate activism.
- Need for broader coalitions. Our experience underscored the importance of aligning with labor, environmental‑justice and economic‑justice movements. A campaign of this magnitude requires many more allies to overcome entrenched interests.
Recommendations for Future Campaigns
- Invest early in data & mapping. Begin building project and district databases well before legislative threats emerge. This allows rapid deployment of targeted advocacy.
- Strengthen capacity at the local level. Provide district leads with more training, resources and seed funds to organize events and coalition meetings.
- Deepen cross‑movement collaboration. Integrate climate advocacy with campaigns for tax fairness and economic justice. Explore partnerships with labor unions and rural electric cooperatives.
- Prepare proactive narratives. Defensive campaigns are essential, but preparing proactive narratives about a just energy transition can inspire and unite supporters beyond a “save what we have” frame.
- Continue to cultivate spiritual resilience. Build regular worship‑sharing and mutual support into advocacy programming to sustain participants through long campaigns.
Conclusion
While the July 3 reconciliation bill represents a profound setback for U.S. climate policy, QEW’s “Protect Our Earth | Save the IRA” campaign demonstrates what committed, values‑driven advocacy can achieve. Against daunting odds and with modest resources, we built a nationwide grassroots campaign, forged new alliances, and delivered tangible policy concessions that keep hope alive. The fight for climate justice continues; the networks, experience and spirit built through this campaign will be essential for the battles ahead.
Prepared by QEW’s “Protect Our Earth | Save the IRA” campaign team, July 17, 2025.
[1] GOP gets 85% of the benefit of climate law. Some still hate it. – Investigate Midwest
[2] Clean energy tax cuts in reconciliation budget would stall renewable energy projects in Iowa • Iowa Capital Dispatch