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Sean Casten

@seancasten.bsky.social

27K followers 180 following 3.1K posts

U.S. Representative, IL-06. Personal account. Dad. Husband. Trained as an engineer, 16 years as a clean energy CEO, now in middle management. For official stuff see @casten.house.gov

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · Nov 7

"The best friend of a nation is he who most faithfully rebukes her for her sins—and he her worst enemy who, under the specious… garb of patriotism seeks to excuse, palliate or defend them." - Frederick Douglass

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Reposted by Sean Casten

Rep. Sean Casten @casten.house.gov · 1d

My statement on the peace deal in Gaza:

Statement from Rep. Casten on the Gaza peace deal. Find the full statement at https://casten.house.gov/media/press-releases/casten-statement-on-peace-deal-in-gaza

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 1d

Read this from @normornstein.bsky.social. The biggest problem with today's GOP isn't their policy views. It's the consistent disrespect they show to our institutions. They are an embarrassment to anyone who loves the Congress, and our country. contrarian.substack.com/p/senate-shame

Senate Shame

Republicans’ abdication of responsibility betrays both an institutional legacy and the American people

contrarian.substack.com

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 1d

The floor schedule released by the House GOP at the start of this year would have made today the 106th voting day of the year. It is, instead the 18th CANCELLED voting day. 88/106 =83%. So they’re still B students. But slipping comfortably into a mediocre C if they keep at it…

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 1d

I like to think about the guy who got cut by the Brooklyn Dodgers when they signed Jackie Robinson. Was he racist? Bitter? IDK. But I guarantee he was the least talented player on the team. And if Branch Rickey’s successor fired Robinson and hired that guy back it wouldn’t *only* be racist.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 1d

The racism is of course the point. But it’s also Trump’s quest for mediocrity. The white people he hires are universally 3rd rate talents whose only qualification is that they’ll do as their told. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

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Reposted by Sean Casten

Rep. Sean Casten @casten.house.gov · 2d

Speaker Johnson knows what it takes to reopen the government, but he refuses to do it. He will not negotiate. He will not let the House return to session.

Speaker Johnson chose to shut down the government because he believes you should pay more to see a doctor.

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Reposted by Sean Casten

Rep. Sean Casten @casten.house.gov · 3d

My office remains open and ready to assist constituents.
If you have questions about the government shutdown, visit my website or call my office.
casten.house.gov/shutdown2025

Government Shutdown FAQ | U.S. Congressman Sean Casten

The Official U.S. Congressional website of Congressman Sean Casten

casten.house.gov

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Reposted by Sean Casten

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 2d

Just 'cause it has to be said every now and then.

GOP Senators and Representatives are obviously okay with...everything...that's happening.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 2d

Profiles in Sycophancy, Chapter 20. Wherein Brooke Rollins tells us how straight she stood and how loud she clapped for Dear Leader. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Rollins: "We had an amazing cabinet meeting. President Trump walked in before the cameras were there. We all stood up & gave him a two minute standing ovation. There's so much love in that room & respect & just appreciation for him. No one could do what that man is doing today. So I was so grateful"

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 2d

We've been making noise about this since it started, legislatively and in Congressional requests. But I remain really concerned that it has become partisan to defend due process and to oppose child trafficking.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 2d

This is really important. I was recently talking to folks in Chicago who said that much as they fear ICE detaining children without due process, they worry even more that child traffickers will don their same masks and do even worse.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 2d

Lots of folks talking about this. This was one of the most heavily discussed parts of the TRO request, and I covered some of that on Monday.

tl;dr: Read Law Dork; be informed.

www.lawdork.com/p/illinois-l...

It is further ORDERED that all Federal Agents, excepting those who do not wear a
uniform or other distinguishing clothing or equipment in the regular performance of their official
4
Case: 1:25-cv-12173 Document #: 42 Filed: 10/09/25 Page 5 of 6 PagelD #:839
duties or are engaged in undercover operations in the regular performance of their official duties, must have visible identification (for which a unique recognizable alphanumeric identifier sequence
will suffice) affixed to their uniforms or helmets and prominently displayed, including when
wearing riot gear.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 2d

"Energy prices are likely to rise the most in states that have not prioritized clean energy". Glad to see NYT making the point I've been making for a decade+. Cheap energy is clean energy. And it's the economic issues that threaten incumbents, not the cleanliness. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

Opinion | This Is Why Your Energy Bills Are Going Up

www.nytimes.com

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 2d

Coal: you can't give it away. (+/- $0.001/ton) apnews.com/article/trum...

Company bids less than a penny per ton in biggest US coal sale in over a decade

A Navajo tribe-owned company has bid $186,000 to lease 167 million tons of coal on federal lands in southeastern Montana.

apnews.com

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

Mike Johnson is monumentally bad at his job. For this to be true, you have to assume that there is nothing more for Congress to do. No need for oversight. Future legislation. Hearings. Standing up to pedophiles. Just a few off the top of my head...

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

"Failures like those at Sandy Creek and Comanche 3 highlight why developers have focused on the construction of cheaper, more distributed, faster-to-build, and more reliable sources like wind, solar, and dispatchable battery storage."

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

Maybe someday coal will play a part in the US power grid but for now it's just too unreliable to compete with wind, solar and batteries. ieefa.org/resources/ne...

Newest big U.S. coal-plant offline until 2027

The newest major coal-fired power plant in the U.S. is expected to be offline until March 2027 after a major failure in April.

ieefa.org

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

It's also worth noting how many red states benefit from cheap energy sources. Republican opposition to cheap energy says more about their failure to stand up their fossil-dominated leadership than about their willingness to stand up for their constituents.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

This is entirely unsurprising. If you build cheap energy sources that aren't exposed to fossil fuel costs or cost volatility your energy prices are lower. That's why it's such a threat to the fossil sector. But it's a proven way to lower costs. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

The government’s own data rebuts Trump’s claims about wind and solar prices

The Trump administration has targeted renewable energy for driving up electricity prices, but POLITICO’s analysis shows states that are growing their wind and solar power typically have lower power co...

www.politico.com

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

If we can check our ego at the door we've got a hell of an opportunity to embrace cheap, put consumers first and generate a ton of economic growth through cheaper, and cleaner energy. Why wait? Let's f-ing go!

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

As I noted earlier this week, it is as if we invented the cell phone, exported it and then spent the next 30 years taking photo ops with rotary phone workers, subsidizing their product and telling people on cell networks that they're too woke. We're playing catch up now. BUT...

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

Bottom line: there is a global story that is really positive here. Markets winning, consumers winning, environment winning. US coverage is so focused on our own internal politics and dysfunction that we not only miss the big picture but also risk getting overtaken by our global competitors.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

The good news is global. The bad news is domestic as the US is increasingly failing to keep up with the cheap energy transition. Committing to run an economy based on resource extraction is a proven way to get your ass kicked. We need to do better.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

Cheap renewables now generating more power than expensive coal on a global basis. This is entirely unsurprising and hugely important from a climate and economic perspective.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

And 2025 is on pace to exceed 2024.

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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 3d

This is remarkable. The world added more solar and wind capacity in 2024 than we added demand. 100% of demand growth PLUS 9% to retire dirtier sources. Cheap energy keeps winning. ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

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