IRA-supporting Republicans are optimistic as they mount a final effort to defend its energy tax credits from rollbacks — but still aren't drawing red lines, Daniel and Nick write.

Why it matters: Lawmakers' remarks at a conservative energy conference yesterday expressed the most vocal support yet for the climate law ahead of next week's reconciliation markups.

• Yet the Republicans stuck to the first rule of IRA Fight Club: You can make noise, but don't go out on a limb.
• Majority Leader Steve Scalise indicated today that Ways and Means would consider its portion of the bill on Tuesday.
• E&C is scheduled to mark up its reconciliation text then, after an earlier postponement.

Driving the news: Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, an influential right-of-center group, held its leadership summit a day after flying in IRA backers to visit 60 congressional offices.

What they're saying: "I'm very encouraged by what I have seen — I'm encouraged by how the conversation is now changing," said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

• Miller-Meeks, a Ways and Means member, has whipped GOP colleagues to sign two pro-IRA House letters to leadership.
• She sent another letter to leadership with a dozen signatures in support of the 48E and 45Y tech-neutral electricity tax credits.
• "The more noise we make, the more we have an opportunity to educate," Rep. Jen Kiggans said.

Reality check: The lawmakers provided zero indication they'll vote "no" should the tax credits disappear.

• "I will tell you the most important thing that I will do this year is to reauthorize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," Miller-Meeks said when asked about the possibility.

Zoom out: Targeting IRA tax credits and unspent energy funds would help Republicans pay for tax cuts without taking a sledgehammer to Medicaid.

• Rep. Buddy Carter, who emerged from a five-hour Energy and Commerce reconciliation meeting yesterday, said lawmakers intend to "save and stabilize and sustain the Medicaid program" by cutting elsewhere.
• "In energy, and certainly with some of the provisions in the IRA that we'll try to claw back and try to fix will be part of the package," he said.

Sen. John Curtis says energy lobbyists appear willing to accept some changes to IRA tax credits — a development he said would give Republicans a win and allow the sector to keep developing, Daniel writes.

Why it matters: The industry increasingly is bracing for sacrifice as Republicans labor to pass "one big beautiful bill."

• "The fiscal wing of the party is saying we can't have them all," CRES President Heather Reams told Daniel, referring to the tax credits. "So this is not an easy thing to do."

Lawmakers have discussed sunsetting some unspecified IRA tax credits early and imposing foreign entity-of-concern guardrails on manufacturing credits.

Driving the news: "The industry has done a fabulous job of approaching us and saying: 'Look, here's a place where you're not going to kill us if you make a change,'" Curtis told an audience of energy developers, investors and others at the CRES event.

• "What we don't want to do is kill you," Curtis said.

Context: Curtis was one of four GOP senators to sign a letter in support of the credits last month, after signing a similar House letter last August.

• Sending public letters to party leadership "really is a significant thing" because it usually "puts them in a bad spot," he said.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources this morning advanced a slate of nominees set to play crucial roles at DOE and Interior, Nick writes.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is finally close to having Senate-confirmed leadership at the high-level offices that will execute its energy policy agenda.

Driving the news: Andrea Travnicek, picked to be Interior's assistant secretary for water and science; Leslie Beyer, nominated to lead land and minerals management at Interior; and Theodore Garrish, slated to lead DOE's nuclear energy office, all advanced on 14-6 votes.

• The panel also approved the nomination of Tristan Abbey to lead the Energy Information Administration 12-8 — but without support from Ranking Member Martin Heinrich and most other Democrats.
• Heinrich raised concern about EIA nixing a lengthy analysis from its recently released 2025 Annual Energy Outlook.
• "I don't blame Mr. Abbey for this — he hasn't been there yet — but neither do I believe he is the correct person to stand up to this administration and defend EIA's independence and integrity," Heinrich said.

What we're watching: Garrish, during his confirmation hearing last week, said he backs federal support for financing nuclear reactors.

• That issue is increasingly getting traction from members on both sides of the Hill and the Trump administration.
• "We need to develop a series of mechanisms for financing of reactors," he said. "The private sector can do some of this. The loan office can help."