Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Department of Energy Relating to ``Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters''

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, it is amazing to me to listen to my Democratic colleagues talk about the cost of living going up.

Mr. Speaker, during the first week of the Biden administration, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline. My Democratic colleagues implemented energy policies that have immediately caused energy prices to go up, causing massive suffering and massive inflation. The inflation hit 9 percent.

It is amazing to me that the minority came in here and made these statements, and the American people figured it out. That is why my Democratic colleagues are in the minority. The American people were tired of being told what to do, what they could buy, what they could wear, and what they could use. Here we are, and my colleagues are hearing the same cold rhetoric that leads to cold homes and cold water.

I introduced this resolution because we are determined to restore a quality of life in this country that we enjoyed before the Democratic Party took over the White House and the House and the Senate.

We believe that we can help the American people be able to afford their groceries, afford an automobile, and afford education. That is why we are doing what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 20. The Congressional Review Act is in response to the Biden-Harris administration's last- minute, overreaching attempt to ban natural gas water heaters.

If this rule is not stopped, a substantial number of Americans would be forced to purchase more expensive and less-efficient models of water heaters. In fact, 40 percent of consumers who will be directly impacted by this rule would face a significant cost increase. It will be particularly hard on senior citizens and low-income families.

Additionally, this rule mandate of fuel switching would set a dangerous precedent for natural gas appliances. We know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have already tried to ban natural gas stovetops.

This would allow future Democratic administrations to restart their party's regulatory attack on our home appliances. I know that when the government steps in to pick winners and losers there are manufacturers of competing products that would profit.

It is amazing to me that my Democratic colleagues claim that a United States-based company based in Georgia is foreign manufacturing. What do Democratic Members say about Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Kia, and the other foreign-owned companies that are based in this country, creating American jobs and providing incomes for American families?

We should let consumers decide what products succeed in the marketplace, not a bureaucrat implementing a regulation pushed out in the final hours of the Biden-Harris Presidency.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration issued a statement of administration policy agreeing that this egregious rule implemented by the previous administration must be repealed. While making a speech last week, the Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, even mentioned how absurd this rule is.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, H.J. Res. 20 is essential for prioritizing consumer choice, protecting natural gas appliances, keeping prices affordable, and undoing the damage inflicted on the American people by the Biden-Harris administration for the past 4 years.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source