House Passes Bill That Forces Biden to Keep ‘Hands Off’
The House approved a bill on Tuesday aimed at ensuring that any forthcoming energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy are grounded in available technology and economic practicality, as stated in a media release from the bill’s sponsor.
Representative Debbie Lesko’s office announced the bipartisan passage of the bill, expressing disappointment at the need for such legislation. Lesko remarked in the release, “I am saddened that we would need such a bill... No government bureaucrat should EVER scheme to take away Americans’ appliances in the name of a radical environmental agenda, yet that is exactly what we have seen under the Biden Administration.”
The Biden administration is waging war on American energy, and this war is making its way into Americans’ homes.
— CathyMcMorrisRodgers (@cathymcmorris) May 7, 2024
The administration is doubling down on unaffordable appliance mandates—which is why we're leading on H.R. 6921. Watch: pic.twitter.com/Y8oYpDZNJe
Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington echoed support for the bill on the House floor, criticizing the Biden administration’s “rush to green agenda” as out of touch with everyday Americans’ priorities.
The bill’s focus is on adjusting the process by which the DOE establishes new regulations or revises existing ones for consumer products like household appliances, excluding vehicles. According to a congressional website summary, the bill empowers the DOE to revoke or amend energy conservation standards if they lead to increased consumer costs, lack significant energy or water conservation, are technologically infeasible, or result in products commercially unavailable in the U.S.
Moreover, all new or modified regulations must be both technologically feasible and economically justified, per the summary.
The bill boasts 10 Republican cosponsors, according to the website.
H. R. 6192 by The Western Journal
In the House, 205 Republicans and seven Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while all 195 votes against it were from Democrats. Several members did not vote on the bill, with a split between Democrats and Republicans.
The bill’s future in the Senate remains uncertain, with passage appearing unlikely given past refusals to consider similar legislation. This includes Lesko’s Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which the House passed in 2023.
According to the Congressional Budget Office analysis, the bill would not require significant additional federal government spending.