Despite insisting for months they wanted green energy tax credits to be handled with a scalpel in their sweeping reconciliation measure, moderate Republicans ultimately accepted a sledgehammer against the subsidies.

Most of the 13 members who warned that the original text of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” could “provoke an energy crisis or cause higher energy bills for working families,” ultimately voted to support it after it got even stricter as part of a deal to win over conservative hardliners.

The legislation cleared the House 215-214 early Friday morning and now heads to the Senate.

“Those are pragmatic individuals that know that they have to get something done,” said Andrew Mills, managing director at American Conservation Coalition Action, a right-of-center climate group.

“Just given the political realities of this bill and the situation, I don’t think it’s too surprising,” Mills said.

For months, the House has been in a tug-of-war as to whether to take a “scalpel” approach and make fine changes to energy tax credits passed in Democrats’ massive 2022 climate, tax and health care bill, or whether to use a “sledgehammer” and largely eliminate all the credits.

Where they ultimately landed makes significant cuts: saying that tax credits for many low-carbon energy sources including wind and solar........

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