Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, today's debate demonstrates why House Republicans simply cannot govern. This bill, H.R. 7700, the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, doesn't need to be brought up today because House Republicans already passed it 2 months ago as part of another larger bill.

In other words, today's debate is a waste of our time. It is clearly being brought up because Republicans simply don't have any other bills to bring to the floor. They are fresh out of ideas that can meet the approval of the extreme elements in their party.

Now, at a time, Mr. Speaker, when the American people want us to work together to build on the progress we have made to grow our economy for the future and lower everyday costs for American families, the House Republican majority wants to have another debate about protecting dishwashers even though this legislation will increase home energy bills on the average American family.

This bill would gut popular energy efficiency standards for dishwashers. Energy efficiency standards are popular for three key reasons. First, they save Americans money on their energy bills. Second, they boost innovation by modernizing appliances for the future. Third, they reduce greenhouse gas pollution in our ongoing efforts to combat the climate crisis.

The Biden administration's past and planned energy efficiency actions will save Americans $1 trillion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.5 billion metric tons over the next 30 years. I will repeat that: They will save Americans $1 trillion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.5 billion metric tons over the next 30 years. That is why there is so much support for these efficiency standards. This is something we should all support.

This used to be a bipartisan issue, but not anymore. Extreme Republicans have decided that they would rather do the bidding of corporate polluters as they continue to move forward with their polluters-over-people agenda.

H.R. 7700 attacks a popular and effective Department of Energy program that saves Americans money by setting efficiency standards on household appliances. It adds burdensome and duplicative language to the Department of Energy's process without defining any of its vague metrics.

This bill completely ignores the mechanisms and practices that already exist at the Department of Energy. Worst of all, it gravely threatens the Department of Energy's ability to implement and enforce the already-finalized dishwasher standards. In pushing this legislation, Republicans ignore the fact that the Department of Energy already must ensure that the standards are economically justifiable, technically feasible, and result in energy savings. Before the standards are put in place by the Department of Energy, it has to meet those standards.

In fact, the process works so well that the dishwasher standard targeted by this bill was actually the result of a consensus agreement between industry, efficiency advocates, and consumer advocates. Industry supports the standards. I don't know who supports the repeal, essentially, of these standards.

If my colleagues look at the details of the dishwasher efficiency standard, they will understand why there is so much support for it. The standard hasn't been updated in over a decade, and the new rules are expected to save Americans over $3 billion on utility bills over 30 years. That is real savings, and the standards are attainable.

Dishwashers that meet the new standards are already on the market. People can buy them now. It doesn't even go into effect until 2027, but consumers can already buy these now because people want them.

It is clear that the appliance manufacturing industry doesn't feel burdened by the new standards. They support them.

Therefore, one has to question, again, why Republicans continue to fight against these commonsense standards. I have no idea other than their corporate and polluter friends.

The bill, along with the next bill we are debating, would not just impact the Department of Energy's ability to implement the recently finalized standards, but it would also effectively overturn them. I want to stress that. These absurd bills include a provision that prohibits DOE from enforcing new or existing standards if they increase costs by even a penny, completely disregarding the massive consumer savings on future monthly home energy bills.

My point is, over a period of time, consumers will save a lot of money. My colleagues are saying if it just costs an extra penny at any point, then it shouldn't be allowed. This simply defies logic.

Again, the bill is designed to protect the interests of Republicans' oil and gas friends. The bill would create market uncertainty and threaten real savings for Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose the bill because it will increase home energy costs for American families and undermine our ongoing efforts to combat the worsening climate crisis. I urge all of my colleagues to oppose this bill.
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Mr. PALLONE. Castor), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

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Mr. PALLONE. Porter).
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

Mr. Speaker, I go back to the dishwashers and clarify some of the facts here. Republicans are throwing around a lot of numbers that I believe are not true. Yesterday, at the Rules Committee, we heard from Republicans that the new dishwasher standards will take 12 years for consumers to break even, and Members cited Department of Energy as a source for this number.

However, the 12-year payback period is in reference to a DOE evaluation of a proposed standard from May of last year. Department of Energy didn't actually adopt that rule. The actual payback period for the rule that was finalized is 3.9 years, and the estimated average lifetime of the dishwasher is way longer.

DOE estimates that the price increase for dishwashers going from the lowest efficiency to the new minimum efficiency standard required will be $26, and these $26 will be paid back in less than 4 years.

Additionally, the price of most dishwashers is not expected to increase at all. Many models already meet the standards or only require small adjustments.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans are using old data to trivialize the savings from the standards and exaggerate the costs. As we have said over and over, the Department of Energy considers the technology, the costs, and the savings in this process. This bill is about gutting agencies and deregulating everything and trying to sell it to the American people as a consumer protection, which it is not.

I clear up a few other misconceptions which seemed to be circulating on the Republican side. At yesterday's Rules meeting, my Republican colleagues expressed outrage that the Department of Energy employees are setting appliance efficiency standards, implying that this isn't their job and that this is just another example of the Biden administration overreach, but the truth is this is their job.

These efficiency standards are congressionally mandated. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires that the Department of Energy evaluate and finalize appliance energy conservation standards and the appliance energy conservation program at the Department of Energy was created in 1987. Who was President in 1987? Ronald Reagan. This program was created under a Republican President with a Republican-controlled Senate and a Democratic House.

Republicans are not upset about the specifics of the conservation standards, believe me. The majority is upset about the existence of standards at all. If one looks at Project 2025, their policy proposals for a second Trump administration, the excessive gutting of critical Federal programs that help all Americans will be seen all over the place.

Let me give an example. Not many Americans have heard of Project 2025, which is this shadowy effort led by former Trump administration officials and those who would staff a second Trump administration to implement far-right policies. It calls for radical ideas, such as banning abortion nationwide, cutting taxes for the rich, and ending the independence of the Department of Justice.

Front and center in Project 2025's plans for the Department of Energy is an idea ``to eliminate energy efficiency standards for appliances.'' The war Republicans have declared on energy efficiency is not organic. It is a small part of a larger effort to attack American institutions and dismantle the parts of the government that keep us safe and save consumers money.

I want everyone to understand that what we are talking about here with energy efficiency standards is just part of a larger effort to basically eliminate all consumer protections.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please not fall for the Republican framing of these issues. Energy efficiency used to be bipartisan, and it helps all Americans. It helps all Americans. Nobody is opposed to it other than this ideological crusade on the part of the Republicans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that our Members vote against the bill, this bill and the next one that follows on refrigerators, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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