The U.S. Department of Energy reportedly removed roughly 6,000 webpages focused on energy conservation as a record-setting heatwave swept across the country.
The timing of the purge drew scrutiny because it came shortly after Republicans criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani for urging New Yorkers to ease pressure on the power grid by setting air conditioners to 78 degrees. Prominent Republicans, including Ted Cruz — known for leaving Texas during a severe winter storm — Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace, quickly attacked the recommendation, casting it as socialism and even portraying it as hostile to women experiencing menopause.
In reality, that guidance is common during periods of extreme heat. The Department of Energy had previously advised Americans to keep thermostats between 75 and 78 degrees, and Republican governors in heavily conservative states such as Texas have offered similar recommendations in the past, including current Governor Greg Abbott.
The Trump administration’s removals appear to have been sweeping rather than narrowly targeted. Along with pages that would have reinforced Mamdani’s thermostat advice, the deleted material reportedly included information on water conservation, insulation options, and the agency’s Solar Decathlon competition. Copies of the missing pages were preserved by the Internet Archive.
New York City saw temperatures climb above 95 degrees for four consecutive days, with two of those days surpassing 100 degrees. Heat at that level can sharply increase demand on the electric grid, particularly when more residents are at home during a holiday weekend. Keeping thermostats at 78 degrees can reduce the risk of blackouts that would leave people without air conditioning and more exposed to dangerous heat.
Extreme heat kills more people in the United States each year, on average, than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined, according to data from the CDC and NOAA.
