The Republican-controlled House has passed the bipartisan “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act,” designed to prevent the Biden administration from imposing restrictive energy regulations on home appliances. Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), the bill targets new Department of Energy (DOE) regulations affecting stoves, dishwashers, washing machines, showers, toilets, water heaters, air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces.
Lesko expressed disappointment over the necessity of the bill, criticizing the Biden administration for what she described as an overreach in regulatory measures under the guise of climate change mitigation. She emphasized that no bureaucrat should dictate the removal of household appliances based on environmental agendas.
The bill introduces key requirements for new energy standards, including cost-effectiveness, actual energy or water savings, and a prohibition on banning appliances based on fuel type. It also grants the DOE the authority to amend or revoke energy conservation standards if they result in additional consumer costs, do not significantly save energy or water, are not technologically feasible, or make certain products commercially unavailable.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) also criticized the administration’s “rush to green agenda,” calling it disconnected from the priorities of everyday Americans.
Additionally, a January report highlighted a growing financial divide between the country’s elites and the majority of Americans under President Joe Biden’s administration, potentially impacting his reelection bid. A survey by Rasmussen Reports revealed that 73% of elites identified as Democrats, and only 14% as Republicans. The report underscored that a significantly higher percentage of elites felt financially better off compared to the general population.
