The Republican party’s takeover of the Senate and House of Representatives has put an end to a congressional investigation into the big oil industry, according to the inquiry’s leader. Rhod Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse stated that the fossil fuel industry is running the biggest campaign of disinformation and political interference in American history, supported by immense amounts of political spending. The industry pumped a historic $96m into Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and affiliated political action committees in 2023 and 2024, and spent another $243m lobbying Congress. Under Trump’s first weeks in office, he rolled out a series of pro-fossil fuel policies, while congressional Republicans attacked regulation on the oil and gas industry. Whitehouse stated that the potential industry influence warrants further scrutiny on Capitol Hill, but is unlikely to be addressed under Republican control. The inquiry uncovered documents from energy giants ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP, as well as lobbying groups, demonstrating the industry’s efforts to downplay the dangers of burning fossil fuels and promote business models and lobbying against regulation. The Senate had the power to subpoena documents, resulting in little cooperation from the fossil fuel industry. The investigation’s revelations could have provided new material evidence for lawsuits against big oil for allegedly lying about the dangers of using fossil fuels. With Republicans now in control of both chambers, Congress is not likely to pursue further evidence of oil industry misinformation or political collusion.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/06/big-oil-investigation-congress-republicans