Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would restrict funds at the Department of Energy and related agencies from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that has an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Under this administration, the regulatory environment, or regime, as I like to call it, has never been worse. For too long, the ever- increasing regulatory costs have harmed consumers and businesses across the country. Since President Biden took office, the regulatory landscape has deteriorated by numerous new rules and regulations that impact all aspects of our economy and, quite frankly, consumers' bottom line. These are the regulations that have added hundreds of billions of dollars more in new regulatory costs that are ultimately passed down to our consumers, who are our constituents.

Recently, we have seen new, outlandish regulatory proposals from agencies, including the Department of Energy's new regulations that were implemented under the guise of efficiency standards. In reality, these efforts are part of the administration's efforts to use every opportunity to implement the Green New Deal. Just look at the efficiency standards that take aim at banning gas stoves and furnaces. These regulations are absurd, unnecessary, and make these appliances unattainable or simply unaffordable, particularly in this economy, or Biden economics, as we have been told this is.

My amendment would rein in the actions of the Department of Energy and related agencies covered by this bill and restore accountability. Congress, not the executive branch, is the sole legislative body in this country. It is time that we restore the accountability and transparency to our constituents by reasserting our Article I authority. Congress makes the law, not the White House.

This amendment would limit the overreach of these agencies and prevent costly regulations from going into effect that ultimately impact our constituents negatively. It is time that we stand up for our constituents and rein in this overgrown, bureaucratic government.

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Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Chair, I am confused. My colleague across the aisle said that this is a controversial poison pill. Just this year, this exact same language was passed off of this floor in this Chamber not just with Republican support, but Democrat support. This is not a partisan issue.

Reasserting the will of the people, empowering the people that hired us to do this job, that is not a controversial issue, nor is it a poison pill. None of our constituents sent us to Washington to cede power to an unelected nameless, faceless bureaucrat somewhere in a basement in Washington.

I disagree tremendously that this piece of legislation, this amendment specifically, would be a poison pill to the very thing that we are trying to accomplish here, one of our critical appropriation bills.

I would also say that today, because of the Biden administration's overreach and aggressive regulatory environment, we now spend more than $2 trillion a year in our economy on compliance and additional costs.

Families are paying more than $14,860 a year in additional regulatory costs and burdens on them. I don't know many families, certainly not in my district, that can afford an additional $14,860 a year in additional costs.

I agree with my colleague, however. It is time to get serious. When I say serious, it means reasserting our authority as Representatives of the people. This amendment does just that.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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