Statement from UndauntedK12 Co-Founders on Federal Budget Reconciliation

July 4, 2025

As the President signs the federal budget reconciliation bill today, we are thinking about the millions of families across the country who will lose healthcare, face food insecurity, experience rising energy costs, and especially about our nation’s young people.

We think about young leaders from Duluth, Durham, El Paso, Lowell, Oakland, Salt Lake City, Tucson, and rural Colorado—those who’ve led campaigns for clean buses, safe and solar-powered school buildings, and climate education. We think about the courage, clarity, and urgency they bring to this moment. And we feel what so many young people may be feeling now: anger, frustration, and deep disappointment.

The budget reconciliation bill passed by Republicans in Congress and championed by the President is a harmful step backward. It pulls support for clean energy investments that have helped schools cut pollution, lower energy costs, and protect student health. These rollbacks make it harder for districts to modernize aging infrastructure and prioritize scarce resources for teaching and learning—and they slow the broader transition to a clean energy economy.

We regret and reject this choice. It endangers our children’s future. It jeopardizes clean air and clean water. It undermines young people’s right to learn in safe, healthy, climate-ready schools.

We are not giving up. We write today with resolve and a deep sense of responsibility.

At UndauntedK12, we will continue helping schools access every available incentive and funding stream to modernize and electrify their infrastructure. We will support district leaders, educators, and students in organizing for strong state and local policies. And we will fight for schools to be models of sustainability, equity, and resilience—no matter what happens in Washington.

Young people are speaking up at school board meetings, organizing climate strikes, launching sustainability campaigns, and demanding action from those in power. Their voice and vision are shaping a different future—and they are not alone.

We remain undaunted in our belief that every student deserves a school powered by clean energy, to breathe air free from pollution, and to be equipped for the future they will inherit.

Young people: We stand with you, learn from you, and will keep fighting alongside you.

— Jonathan Klein and Sara Ross, Co-Founders, UndauntedK12