Democrats won control of the White House and Congress by making big promises to rebuild American infrastructure and take action urgently on the climate crisis. But there’s been rising frustration in recent months, from every which way, about how slowly things are moving in Washington. While there’s finally some movement on one part of the agenda in the Senate, the path forward on some of the big issues leads through the office of New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan.

While the details are still being written, here’s what we know: Democrats are crafting a big go-it-alone ‘reconciliation’ package while simultaneously trying to move forward a smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill that needs support from Republicans and moderate Democrats – including Senator Hassan. As they write the details about what to spend money on and how to pay for it, there’s one idea that should get widespread support: Stopping government handouts for fossil fuel polluters.

Right now, fossil fuel companies receive an array of tax breaks and other subsidies that amount to $15 billion a year. Cutting off these handouts for good should have wide political appeal; depending on your political beliefs, this money can be seen by fiscal conservatives as wasteful government spending that interferes with the free market, or a giveaway to a profitable industry that is responsible for creating the climate crisis (a concern for many Democrats).

These corporate handouts help drive the expansion of the fossil fuel industry. While politicians like to talk about leading the shift to clean energy, reality tells us that the United States could account for over half of the global growth in oil and gas production.

Various bills – including one called the End Polluter Welfare Act – aim to limit or eliminate the giveaways to fossil fuel corporations. Including a comprehensive bill in these infrastructure packages would save us $150 billion over a decade.

Senator Hassan is no stranger to these issues. During her term as governor, she issued an executive order to reduce fossil fuel use in state buildings and vehicles. And in 2017, she even co-sponsored a bill called the ‘Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act’, which boasted of a goal of saving $22 billion over ten years. Senator Hassan was a critic of the Trump administration’s climate and energy policies, which were obviously tilted in favor of corporate giants. But that era has passed: We need to know where she stands now, especially when it comes to shoveling taxpayer money at profitable companies.

Like many political leaders, Senator Hassan has spoken out about the urgency of the climate crisis. We’re already seeing the effects of a warming world here in New Hampshire, where temperatures have increased over the past few decades. Warmer winters mean less snow and more rain, which harm our recreational industries. Sea level rise brings more coastal flooding. We will even likely see increased problems with diseases carried by insects – especially Lyme disease.

The question isn’t what Senator Hassan is saying – it’s what she is willing to do about this crisis. She has talked about the need to support ‘bite sized’ climate policies instead of far-reaching policies like the Green New Deal. Whatever your political views, there’s a good argument to be made that taking a bite out of the multi-billion dollar handouts to fossil fuel companies is just common sense. Let’s hope Senator Hassan still thinks so.

Nisha Swinton is a senior organizer with the national advocacy group Food & Water Watch.