Utility profits are soaring on the backs of captive electric ratepayers while policymakers fail to act on common-sense policy guaranteed to reduce consumers‘ electric bills. If America knows one thing, it’s that competition reduces costs, increases innovation, and delivers better value to consumers. Competition is baked into our country’s DNA and is a foundational principle of our country’s success.From the onset of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, he has made clear that his administration prioritizes competitive markets. An April 2025 executive order, “Reducing Anti-Competitive Regulatory Barriers,” directs agencies to dismantle rules that shield companies from competition. Despite that, only around 5% of all new transmission lines are competitively bid, and despite Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 1000, a regulation that requires utilities to compete with one another to build regionally planned transmission lines. Without competition, a monopoly utility has no incentive to reduce costs because the more it spends, the more its profits increase.There are significant planned increases in utility transmission spending. Edison Electric Institute forecasts that its member utilities will spend $138 billion on new transmission projects from 2026 to 2028, doubling the annual rate of the previous nine years.