Vermont Senate Republicans fully represent 9 of Vermont’s 16 Senate districts, and occupy every one-seat Senate district. 2024 was a monumental year for Republicans after Vermonters revolted against a supermajority that passed many terrible bills over Gov. Phil Scott’s veto. Rural Vermont and private landowners have been disproportionately impacted by these legislative failures:
Act 181 - placed much of rural Vermont under Act 250 regulations.
Clean Heat Standard - added a carbon tax of $0.59/gallon on home heating fuels, with the exception of natural gas (used predominantly in Chittenden County)
14% Education Property Tax increase in 2024 and an increase of 41% over 5 years.
Global Warming Solutions Act - Imposed impossible carbon reduction mandates and authorized suing Vermont if they aren’t met
Renewable Energy Standard - Electricity Cost Increases of $1B over 10 years, so that Vermont can increase its renewable energy portfolio from 97% to 100%
Senate Republicans were part of a successful team and joined with Rural Vermont Rising in the 2026 legislative biennium - the Road Rule and Tier 3 provisions in Act 181 were repealed! The Clean Heat Standard was not enacted by the Public Utility Commission. The Global Warming Solutions Act and Renewable Energy Standard are still moving forward and will cost Vermonters billions in energy costs that they cannot afford; both need to be repealed as well.
In the 2023-2024 biennium, the supermajority increased education property taxes by 24%! In the 2025-2026 biennium, without a supermajority and 13 Republican Senators, education property taxes increased by only 4%. 4% is still too high, but a Republican Senate majority will fix that.
And there’s more. In the 2025-2026 biennium, no new taxes or fees were imposed. Retired military and Social Security taxes were decreased while the EITC and Child Tax Credit were expanded.
There’s a theme here - Republicans are a force to make Vermont more affordable!
Vermont Senate Republicans are working hard to achieve a Senate majority in 2026. This is imperative if Vermont’s affordability problems are to be solved. The democratic majority has controlled Vermont’s Senate for over 30 years; their fingerprints are all over what ails Vermont. 30 years of making Vermont affordable by making it more expensive HAS NOT worked. Vermont suffers from a bloated government and a myriad of expensive programs that Vermonters have to pay for, causing the 3rd highest tax burden in the country.
Vermont’s Senate Affordability Team, for Vermonters!