A few months ago, Axios reported that there was some growing “frustration” among House Republicans over their party’s focus on home appliance-related legislation, especially given that the Democratic-led Senate would ignore the GOP’s measures.
Evidently, Republican leaders prefer to ignore the intraparty irritation. The Associated Press reported overnight:
House Republicans on Tuesday approved two bills rolling back Energy Department efficiency standards on refrigerators and dishwashers. … The refrigerator bill was approved, 212-192, while the dishwasher measure was adopted, 214-192. Both bills now go to the Democratic-controlled Senate where they are unlikely to advance.
During the floor debate, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California called the effort “ridiculous,” adding, “It is Congress at its worst.”
Porter: This bill is ridiculous. It is Congress at its worst. A bunch of people who haven’t unloaded a dishwasher ever telling the American people what dishwashers they should or should not have. On behalf of every American woman who is going to load and unload, I yield back pic.twitter.com/TZlxe2brFF
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 9, 2024
The congresswoman’s argument was both accurate and persuasive, and it was clear that Porter was frustrated that she even had to make the remarks. But making matters worse was the familiarity of the circumstances.
Indeed, it was just a couple of months ago when House Republicans also approved the “Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act” (or “HOOHA”), which, if implemented, would make it more difficult to enact energy efficiency standards for washing machines, among other things.
There’s no great mystery as to the broader political context: GOP members have a problem with energy efficiency standards, which used to enjoy relatively bipartisan support before the party’s approach to energy policy moved sharply to the right.
A recent PunchBowl News report helped summarize matters: “These are all part of the Republican culture war clash over energy efficiency and climate change. It’s similar to the gas stove hysteria or Trump’s war on low-flush toilets and light bulbs.”
GOP lawmakers know that these home appliance bills aren’t going anywhere in the Democratic-led Senate, but by all appearances, party leaders don’t much care. They want to be able to tell the far-right Republican base that they’re on Capitol Hill, fighting tooth and nail in support of pointless bills that combat energy conservation and efficiency standards. As a result, the “Refrigerator Freedom Act” and the “Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act” (these are the actual bill names, which I swear I didn’t make up) will no doubt make for delightful fundraising letters and several Fox News segments, even as real priorities in need of Republicans’ attention go overlooked. As for the rest of the party’s appliance-related agenda, votes on the “Liberty in Laundry Act” (H.R. 7673), the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act” (H.R. 7645), and the “Affordable Air Conditioning Act” (H.R. 7626) were supposed to receive votes weeks ago. They have not yet been rescheduled, but it’s a safe bet they’ll end up on the House floor soon enough. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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