[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4497-H4503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               STOP UNAFFORDABLE DISHWASHER STANDARDS ACT

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1341, I call up 
the bill (H.R. 7700) to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from 
prescribing or enforcing energy conservation standards for dishwashers 
that are not cost-effective or technologically feasible, and for other 
purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Meuser). Pursuant to House Resolution 
1341, the bill is considered read.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7700

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher 
     Standards Act''.

     SEC. 2. PRESCRIBING AND ENFORCING ENERGY CONSERVATION 
                   STANDARDS FOR DISHWASHERS.

       (a) Technologically Feasible and Economically Justified.--
     Notwithstanding subsections (m), (n), and (o) of section 325 
     of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295), 
     the Secretary of Energy may not--
       (1) prescribe a new or an amended energy conservation 
     standard for a covered product that is a dishwasher under 
     such section unless the Secretary of Energy determines that 
     the prescription and imposition of such energy conservation 
     standard is technologically feasible and economically 
     justified; or
       (2) enforce an energy conservation standard prescribed 
     under such section for a covered product that is a dishwasher 
     if the Secretary of Energy determines that enforcement of or 
     compliance with such energy conservation standard is not 
     technologically feasible or economically justified.
       (b) Prohibition on Increased Costs to Consumers.--
     Notwithstanding subsections (m), (n), and (o) of section 325 
     of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295), 
     the Secretary of Energy may not--
       (1) prescribe a new or an amended energy conservation 
     standard for a covered product that is a dishwasher under 
     such section unless the Secretary of Energy determines that 
     the prescription and imposition of such energy conservation 
     standard is not likely to result in additional net costs to 
     the consumer, including any increase in net costs associated 
     with the purchase, installation, maintenance, disposal, and 
     replacement of the covered product; or
       (2) enforce an energy conservation standard prescribed 
     under such section for a covered product that is a dishwasher 
     if the Secretary of Energy determines that enforcement of or 
     compliance with such energy conservation standard is likely 
     to result in additional net costs to the consumer, including 
     any increase in net costs associated with the purchase, 
     installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement of the 
     covered product.
       (c) Significant Energy Savings Requirement.--
     Notwithstanding subsections (m), (n), and (o) of section 325 
     of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6295), 
     the Secretary of Energy may not--
       (1) prescribe a new or an amended energy conservation 
     standard for a covered product that is a dishwasher under 
     such section if the Secretary of Energy determines that the 
     prescription and imposition of such energy conservation 
     standard will not result in significant conservation of 
     energy; or
       (2) enforce an energy conservation standard prescribed 
     under such section for a covered product that is a dishwasher 
     if the Secretary of Energy determines that enforcement of or 
     compliance with such energy conservation standard will not 
     result in significant conservation of energy.
       (d) Covered Product; Energy Conservation Standard.--In this 
     section, the terms ``covered product'' and ``energy 
     conservation standard'' have the meanings given such terms in 
     section 321 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 
     U.S.C. 6291).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour, 
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member 
of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
Duncan).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this 
legislation and insert extraneous material on H.R. 7700.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from South Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7700, Stop 
Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, and I thank Congressman 
Langworthy for leading these efforts.
  The Biden administration has lost sight of the original intent behind 
the Department of Energy conservation standards. Instead, they are 
contradicting the statutes and doing so at the expense of Americans' 
quality of life, their pocketbooks, and their energy bills.
  Instead of harnessing the abundant resources we are blessed with in 
this country, the Biden administration wants to lower your standard of 
living by telling you what appliances you can have in your home, and 
they want you to pay more for it.
  An analysis from the Department of Energy found that their dishwasher 
efficiency mandates would increase the upfront cost by up to 28 
percent. It is estimated that these proposed standards may take 
consumers over 16 years to pay back the increased cost on a dishwasher 
that won't even last 12 years.
  The Biden administration has abused the Department of Energy's 
appliance standard program to go beyond the authority granted to them 
by Congress by proposing these overreaching standards.
  Americans will suffer the consequences of the Biden administration's 
rush-to-green agenda.
  The DOE's net zero rush-to-green energy agenda is reaching into your 
home to impose cost increasing regulations on appliances in every 
corner of your home.
  We have debated gas stoves and other appliances here, and now here we 
are today debating on dishwashers.
  The Biden administration has proposed over 15 regulations that affect 
appliances, like I mentioned, not only gas stoves but hot water 
heaters, refrigerators, freezers, and now dishwashers.

[[Page H4498]]

  They argue these regulations will save money and reduce emissions, 
but that is just simply not the case. One study found these regulations 
could increase the cost for the average American family by over $9,000.
  These increased efficiency standards mean Americans need to run their 
appliances twice as long to get the same effect, and we all know it. 
You run the dishwasher, you open it up, the dishes aren't clean, and 
you have got to run it again. It happens to every American family 
multiple times. You are not saving money. You are not saving water and 
electricity running your highly efficient appliances when you have to 
run them two or three times just to get the dishes clean or to get them 
dry.
  This bill would prevent this abuse from the DOE, and it will prevent 
the Department from enforcing standards on dishwashers unless they are 
technologically feasible and economically justified, they are not 
likely to result in additional costs to the customer, and they won't 
enforce the standards unless they will result in a significant 
conservation of energy. American families know that is just simply not 
happening in their homes.
  I urge all my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 7700, Stop the 
Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, to protect affordability and 
preserve the quality of life that Americans expect and deserve.
  I thank Representative Langworthy for leading this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  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.

                              {time}  1415

  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.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, the legislation would prevent 
the Department from enforcing standards on dishwashers unless they are 
technologically feasible and economically justified, unless they are 
not likely to result in additional costs to a consumer, and unless they 
will result in significant conservation of energy.
  Americans know that this new standard and even older standards are 
not working. They are having to wash their dishes multiple times.
  We have seen over and over agencies overreaching the constitutional 
mandate they were given. Thank goodness the Supreme Court last week 
overturned the Chevron deference, and now Congress can use other tools 
like pieces of legislation to direct agencies on what they should do 
and the limits they can do it under.
  Sure, there is other legislation we ought to take up, but we have had 
to use Congressional Review Act legislation. We have had to use 
legislation like this to push back against these agencies and their 
overreach.
  Thankfully, Mr. Langworthy knows a lot about this. He filed the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Langworthy).
  Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the 
Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, which will put the brakes 
on the Biden administration's relentless assault on efficient, 
affordable, and reliable appliances for everyday Americans through 
overbearing regulations.
  When Congress enacted the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, 
the goal was straightforward: encourage a more efficient use of energy 
that is both practical and cost-efficient. Yet, the Biden 
administration has

[[Page H4499]]

abused and twisted this law beyond recognition to serve the radical, 
woke environmentalist agenda of the far left.
  They are not just out of touch. They are making life more expensive 
for hardworking Americans. In fact, the Biden administration's own 
analysis of the proposed rule for the new efficiency standards admits 
that it would take more than 12 years for an American family to see $17 
in savings--$17 over 12 years, and that is if their dishwasher lasts 
that long, which is really doubtful. This is a textbook example of Big 
Government overreach.

  Here is the bottom line: Our country is in the midst of a historic 
affordability crisis. Millions of Americans cannot afford to buy their 
first home or even save for a rainy day. What does this Biden 
administration do? They pile on more regulations, more requirements, 
and higher standards onto the most basic household appliances.
  To my friends across the aisle who disparage this legislation here 
today as trivial and unimportant, I encourage them to go explain right 
now to the average American family, already crushed by this Biden 
economy, that their daily struggles with skyrocketing costs don't 
matter. Go explain to seniors in my district living on fixed incomes 
why they should shell out thousands more to replace their basic home 
appliances to satisfy some radical environmentalist pipe dream. Go tell 
them that they should take a back seat to the Green New Deal agenda. Go 
tell them that the Biden administration knows better about what is best 
for them.
  Why should Americans who are putting their groceries on credit cards 
be forced to deal with more out-of-touch, expensive regulations? The 
hardworking families, seniors, and constituents in my district might 
not matter to the Biden administration, but they matter to me.
  That is why I introduced this legislation. By stripping away consumer 
choice and imposing draconian new regulations and standards that make 
absolutely no sense from an affordability and efficiency standpoint, 
this administration is making life harder for the American people, pure 
and simple.
  Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. We cannot tackle this affordability 
crisis facing our country today if we don't stop the Biden 
administration's regulatory agenda dead in its tracks. I urge my 
colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 7700.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Tonko), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the 
Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7637 and H.R. 
7700, both of which are being considered this afternoon.
  Mr. Speaker, I am surprised that Republicans went home for 
Independence Day, reflected upon all that great holiday means, and, as 
their first order of business back in D.C., brought up these redundant, 
anticonsumer bills.
  Let it not be said that House Republicans don't care about people's 
rights. These bills support the rights of Chinese manufacturers to dump 
cheap, inferior products into the U.S. market. These bills support the 
right for utilities to bill Americans more just for keeping their 
refrigerators plugged in or running their dishwashers.
  Strong efficiency standards reduce energy use and are proven to save 
Americans hundreds of dollars each and every year. These bills support 
the right of landlords to stick their renters with low-performing 
appliances.
  Strong efficiency standards raise the bar for everyone. DOE's 
efficiency standards are required by law to be cost-effective, and they 
result in major savings for every American household. They also reduce 
energy demand, which makes our electric grid more reliable.
  The refrigerator and dishwasher standards, which would be undone by 
the bills before us today, reflect the consensus of energy efficiency 
advocates, consumer advocates, and American home appliance 
manufacturers. That is right: Our own domestic manufacturers recognize 
the benefits of these standards and truly support DOE's rules.
  We have wasted enough time. We have wasted enough energy already. 
Let's not stand in the way of the Department of Energy and American 
manufacturers that want to support the development of the next 
generation of innovative, cost-effective, and energy efficient 
appliances.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage Members to do the proconsumer and patriotic 
thing by rejecting these bills today.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Allen), a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7700, the Stop 
Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act or the SUDS Act.
  Time and again, we have seen the Biden administration's radical rush-
to-green agenda negatively impact the lives of hardworking Americans, 
including their freedom to choose what household appliances meet their 
needs--first, gas stoves, and now, dishwashers and refrigerators. It is 
hard to believe that under this administration, the most regulated 
space in America is the kitchen and laundry room.
  Under the guise of energy efficiency, this administration is issuing 
new standards that will significantly drive up costs, reduce 
reliability, and jeopardize the availability of numerous home 
appliances.
  House Republicans will continue to lead on legislative solutions that 
protect American families from out-of-touch, top-down rules. The 
American people want choice.
  When I talk to my constituents in Georgia's 12th District, they want 
relief from record inflation and rising prices. Yet, the Biden 
administration is moving forward with issuing standards that could 
increase the upfront cost of dishwashers by 28 percent and the upfront 
cost of refrigerators by 25 percent, according to the DOE's own 
analysis.
  President Biden's war on American energy is crushing families' 
budgets nationwide, which is why I am proud to support the SUDS Act, as 
well as legislation being debated later today that will protect 
affordability, quality, and choice for residential dishwashers, 
refrigerators, and freezers.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on these bills.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Castor), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce's 
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 
7700. It is a bill that will saddle American families with higher 
costs.
  This is not a serious bill, but it is rather emblematic of the least 
protective Congress in modern times. Rather than focus on improving the 
lives of our neighbors back home and lowering costs, Republicans, as my 
colleague from New York said, went home for the Fourth of July recess 
and talked to their neighbors about what the Congress could do to 
improve their lives, and the first bill that they bring up on the floor 
is one to gut energy efficient dishwashers.
  Let's talk about energy efficiency because it is popular. Where does 
it come from? Years ago, the Congress acted in a bipartisan way and 
directed the Department of Energy to every few years update efficiency 
standards for the appliances that power our lives: our air-
conditioners, dishwashers, refrigerators. American manufacturers have 
responded.
  Americans know this. Our appliances have gotten better and better 
over time. They save us money. They save us water. That is really 
important right now, that we can put a little bit more money back into 
our pockets. It is a win-win-win for us.
  I have already heard some misleading statements on the floor today, 
and I think we need to clear those up.
  When the Department of Energy creates new efficiency standards, 
whether it is for dishwashers or other appliances, it does so in 
collaboration with industry, with the support of industry and appliance 
manufacturers. The final standards for dishwashers were adopted in 
April, and they reflect the recommendations from the Association of 
Home Appliance Manufacturers. That is a trade association of 30 leading 
appliance makers.

                              {time}  1430

  Second, they have said that this is a mandate and that all Americans 
have to go buy these dishwashers.

[[Page H4500]]

  Mr. Speaker, Americans are smart. They know that is not true. If you 
want an inefficient dishwasher or if you want to return to the days of 
hand-washing your dishes, then that is your right to do so. However, it 
is important that we prod appliance makers to be more innovative and to 
be more efficient. The guiding star--in fact, it is called Energy 
Star--is to save consumers money, to cut pollution, and to help put a 
little more money back in their pockets.
  In creating new energy efficiency standards, DOE does so with 
consumer savings as its guiding force. According to the agency 
calculations, consumers will save $3.2 billion on utility bills over 30 
years from the dishwasher standards alone.
  For my neighbors back home in Florida who are paying exorbitant 
electric bills right now because they don't use the power of the 
sunshine, they are mostly on gas, boy, this is a godsend for them to be 
able to put some money back into their pockets.
  Since we have so much time to debate dishwashers today, I will spend 
a little time on a public service announcement.
  Mr. Speaker, if you go to energy.gov/save, there are additional 
savings for you and your family. There are rebates on appliances and 
new heat pumps. There are tax credits for various appliances and 
upgrading your home. Many of these were adopted by Democrats in a 
Democratic-led Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act. That is our 
historic clean energy and climate resilience law. It has been difficult 
to get through the noise of this chaotic Congress to make sure that 
families understand the cost savings that are available to them, but 
that is at energy.gov/save. There are enormous rebates and tax credits 
to help you with the cost of living.
  The Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy group, said 
about the new dishwasher efficiency standard: The Department of 
Energy's new efficiency standards for dishwashers are a significant 
victory for both consumers and the environment. The standards require 
simple changes that will positively impact most households.
  If the appliance makers, consumer advocacy groups, and environmental 
organizations all support the Department of Energy's energy efficiency 
standards, I know many of you are wondering, then why do House 
Republicans oppose them?
  Another common theme in this chaotic Congress has been the 
Republicans' allegiance to polluters and utility companies.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Florida.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. I was about to answer the question on 
everyone's mind: Why would anyone oppose putting money back into the 
pockets of hardworking American families?
  It is because the GOP is so aligned with oil and gas companies that 
they want you to use as much energy as possible. The utility companies 
want you to use as much energy as possible, Mr. Speaker, because that 
benefits their bottom line and not yours.
  Rather than do the dirty work for polluters and electric utilities, I 
would say: Let's stand up for the families we represent and put money 
back into their pockets. Whether it is a dishwasher, a refrigerator, an 
AC, or whatever it is, they need a little bit of relief. We are here to 
serve them and not the special interest groups.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any further speakers, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Casten).
  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, we often talk about kitchen table issues, 
and what better time to elevate those issues than this week, which you 
all have declared in honor of refrigerator freedom.
  Specifically, as I was walking around July Fourth, I heard a lot of 
issues from my constituents about refrigerators.
  Some of them asked: Who put the meat in the crisper drawer?
  That was a big fight.
  Why aren't you using the egg holder for your eggs?
  If you use the last of the mustard, don't just put it back in the 
fridge; go to the store and get some more mustard.
  That is a fight.
  There is the always controversial: Should we or should we not replace 
a perfectly good refrigerator just because it doesn't match our 
cabinets?
  These are the real issues that are bothering Americans around their 
kitchen table when they talk about refrigerators. If those sound silly, 
I will only point out that those issues are vastly more important, more 
substantive, and are legitimate points of debate. You can argue both 
sides of any of those issues more than anything in this bill because 
this bill doesn't address those issues. All it does is gut efficiency 
standards that if left in place will save American consumers more than 
$3 billion on their utility bills over the next three decades.
  I am going to say this very slowly so everybody across the aisle can 
understand: If you save energy, then you don't have to pay for energy.
  I think you all know this, Mr. Speaker, because some of you have 
probably at some point said to your kids: Shut the window. I have got 
the AC on. I don't want to waste energy. I don't want to waste money 
when I cool my house.
  That is the same thing here in these standards.
  Also, I think, as anybody who has ever sat around a kitchen table 
knows, Americans kind of like to save money on their energy bills. Here 
we find ourselves with efficiency standards in place that lower 
Americans' utility bills, and Republicans are proposing legislation to 
block Americans from access to cheaper energy in the name of 
refrigerator freedom. God bless refrigerators.

  I oppose this bill because it is bad for consumers, it is bad for the 
environment, and, quite honestly, it is bad for this institution 
because it is a waste of our time.
  Furthermore, at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will offer a 
motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If House rules 
permitted, I would have offered this motion with an important amendment 
to this bill, and my amendment would require that the act not take 
effect until the Secretary of Energy submits to Congress a 
certification that this act, including amendments made by this act, 
will not result in higher energy costs for American consumers.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion 
to recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting 
for this motion to recommit.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration's own Department of Energy in 
their analysis finds that efficiency mandates could increase the 
upfront costs by 28 percent and it could take consumers 12 years to pay 
back the increased cost on a product like a dishwasher that may only 
last 7 to 12 years.
  Mr. Speaker, it is going to take you 12 years to pay for something 
that may wear out in 7 years based on DOE's own analysis. That makes no 
sense.
  The gentlewoman mentioned earlier that Republicans were not wanting 
to help American consumers, that they want to take money out of their 
pocket. This is actually the opposite of that. We are wanting to help 
save the American public money over time by stopping these reckless 
rush-to-green regulations like we are voting on today dealing with both 
refrigerators and dishwashers and then gas stoves but only because they 
have a green agenda that really wants to do away with fossil fuels. 
Let's just call it what it is. That is their agenda, to end the use of 
fossils fuels in the United States of America at a time when we, as a 
growing nation, growing population, and growing metropolitan centers, 
need more energy. The demand for energy is only going up. It is not 
going down. The continued war against American-

[[Page H4501]]

produced fossil fuels is costing Americans' ability to improve their 
quality of life and their standard of living.
  We need to continue debating the need for efficient, reliable, 
affordable, and dispatchable energy resources, something that is 24/7/
365 always on, always ready, always available, not weather-dependent, 
and not sunlight-dependent, intermittent energy sources. We need to 
continue debating that. Instead, we are having to push back against an 
administration that, under broad legislation passed by the United 
States Congress, has given them the ability to write rules and make 
regulations without the necessary congressional oversight in many 
cases. That is why, I believe, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron 
deference to say that these agencies don't just have carte blanche to 
do whatever political agenda pushes them in the mindset to do.
  I think Congress needs to focus on really defining what those rules 
are in the legislation we pass here, and I think that is what the 
Supreme Court is ultimately going to force us to do. They it made very 
clear with no ambivalence and no ambiguity.
  We have a Nation that is hurting because of the Biden economic 
factors that are causing inflation. It started with energy on day one 
by stopping the Keystone pipeline, ending lease sales on the Outer 
Continental Shelf, destroying the American energy base.
  The Democrats will say: Well, energy production is up.
  It is, but it is up because of past administration policies that 
expanded oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf and on 
Federal land. These things don't pop up out of the ground overnight. It 
takes decades sometimes to get an energy product to producing. The 
permitting process alone takes years. Then you have to find the 
resource and produce the resource and get it online where Americans can 
benefit from it.
  Guess who else can benefit from it, Mr. Speaker. The world can. With 
the abundance of natural gas we have in this country, we could be a 
tremendous exporter. We export a lot, but we could do a lot more 
because of the abundance of natural gas we have here to help the 
quality of life and standard of living of people all over the globe. 
Yet this administration says we are going to put this pause, which was 
basically a ban, on LNG exports.
  That hurts our allies in Europe who are facing Vladimir Putin's 
cutting on and off the spigot of natural gas. It hurts folks around the 
world who are in energy poverty, and America could help raise them out 
of that poverty.
  Americans know they are hurting because it started with energy. We 
talk a lot about that. Americans also see a border that is wide open 
and 16-plus million people who have crossed our southern border who are 
raping and killing American citizens. The crime rates are going up in 
cities. They are straining our social services at the State level and 
in our own communities causing our property taxes to go up and our 
State income taxes to go up to pay for folks who aren't even legally in 
the United States of America. That is because of Joe Biden's open-
border policies.
  Sure, we ought to debate a lot of things in this Congress instead of 
debating regulations on efficiency standards on dishwashers, gas 
stoves, refrigerators, freezers, and all these things, but the Biden 
administration has definitely overreached in these areas. It is because 
they have a green agenda that they are pushing.
  Republicans want to help Americans maintain their standard of living, 
improve their standard of living, and improve their quality of life. We 
can do that by lowering taxes. We can do that by improving the economy 
which the Biden economic policies have not done. We saw tremendous 
spending in the IRA and other things. More government spending equates 
to higher inflation. That is not me saying it. That is economists all 
over the globe who understand that simple concept.

  We want to improve the quality of life of people and not make their 
appliances that they rely on every day be less efficient, cost more, 
and in the case of dishwashers, having to pay for something that wore 
out 3 or 4 years ago and they are still paying on it. If you factor in 
the cost savings, it is pennies a day. In fact, it is probably pennies 
a year. It gets into less than a $20 savings over the life of the 
appliance. That is not saving the American people money.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7700, the Stop Unaffordable 
Dishwasher Standards Act. Let's protect affordability, and let's 
preserve the quality of life for Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New Jersey has 14 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Porter).
  Ms. PORTER. I think it is important before we legislate on something 
to know something about it. I know a lot about dishwashers because I am 
a single mom, and I load, unload, load, unload, rinse, and buy 
detergent.
  So I wonder if the gentleman who is supporting this legislation about 
dishwashers and proposing to be an expert in what the American people 
want in their dishwashers would be willing to engage in a little 
colloquy with me about dishwashers.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina.
  Are you willing to engage in this?
  Representative Duncan, I would like to know if you know what the 
average utility cost is per month to run a dishwasher?
  No. He doesn't know. It is $2 to $4 a month.
  In other words, about one-third of a frappuccino: $2 to $4 a month.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. Duncan, do you know about how much a dishwasher costs, 
Representative Duncan, like a mid-range dishwasher?
  Nope, he doesn't know. About $800, $900. If you want to get fancier, 
like a thousand.
  Representative Duncan, do you know the best ways and the most 
important things you can do to make your dishwasher get the dishes 
clean?
  Nope. The gentleman is not a dishwasher expert. Loading it correctly.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Member will be reminded to direct their 
remarks to the Chair.
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, do you know what the most important 
technique is to load a dishwasher correctly? It is loading it 
correctly.
  Mr. Speaker, I have heard a lot about the Biden so-called border 
crisis. What I haven't heard about is anything about dishwashers. As 
somebody who saved and scrimped and was so proud to get a new 
dishwasher and can tell you a lot about them, what they cost, what 
kinds of features they have, how to load it properly, which I wish 
every person, every man and child in America, would listen to their 
wife--
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California.
  Ms. PORTER. I wish everyone would listen to their spouse about how to 
load the dishwasher correctly. Those are the most important things that 
make your dishes get clean.
  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 with legislation what kind of dishwashers they should or should 
not be able to buy.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is 
remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from South Carolina has 14 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, to address the gentlewoman, I wasn't going to engage in 
a colloquy on the floor during a debate on this issue, but I do load 
and unload the dishwasher.
  I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that, many times, I have opened the 
dishwasher, loaded properly, with the right amount of dishwashing 
liquid or pod put in, that all the dishes aren't clean. They were 
rinsed off before they were put in, to the gentlewoman.
  I would run it again. Americans know this. This isn't just me and my 
household. Americans know they have to run the dishwasher ofttimes more 
than once.

[[Page H4502]]

  How is that a cost savings? How is it a cost savings when you have to 
run it more than once?
  Americans know you open that dishwasher after its cycle, and 
apparently the heating component of the efficiency standards didn't dry 
the dishes, so they get them out before they put them in the cabinet 
because you don't want to put wet dishes up. You get a towel down, and 
you dry every one of them off. Cup, knife, fork, plate, pan, you dry it 
off before you put it up.
  Mr. Speaker, you might as well have just washed it in the sink versus 
using an inefficient dishwasher that is becoming more and more 
inefficient based on these standards. I am not going to stand here and 
be lectured by someone who seemed very pious about dishwashers or 
washing laundry or loading a refrigerator properly to stay away from 
the hotspots because we are going to go to refrigerators next.
  I am sure some of these same comments are going to be brought up. 
Guess what, I don't have to because the American people know. The 
American people know what they deal with every day, and they know they 
are going to pay more for an appliance that is less efficient, and they 
may still be paying for it when the thing is worn out. That is unfair 
to the American people. We should be about improving the standard of 
living and quality of life of Americans.
  I will address one other thing that the gentlewoman said: the so-
called border crisis. Every American knows we have a border crisis. We 
have had over 16 million people in our country not with a visa, not 
with a permission slip, to come here illegally. They reside in our 
communities because guess what? Every State is a border State now, even 
California and even South Carolina, where I come from because these 
migrants have been bussed or flown at taxpayer expense into our 
communities.
  I won't stand here and hear it be called a so-called border crisis 
because Americans know it is a border crisis when 16 million people 
illegally enter. We are not talking about 6, but 16 million or more. 
Those are just the ones we know about.
  What about the ones that the Border Patrol see cross the border, who 
go into the bushes, and they go after them? They can't find them, and 
they are not counted in the got-away numbers because they have been 
told that those migrants may have gone back across the border, so they 
are not counting those numbers.
  What about the ones who cross the border in areas that aren't 
patrolled currently, those people who come through who have no 
encounter with law enforcement at all, who are never counted. They may 
have nefarious goals in mind because all of these illegal aliens that 
have crossed our border aren't just from Mexico or Guatemala, Honduras, 
El Salvador, Latin-American countries. A lot of them are coming from 
China and Russia and the Middle East. America knows we have no idea who 
is in our country.
  Let me say that again: Americans, we have no idea who is in our 
country.
  When I got into this conversation about energy prices and the border 
and economics and inflation, high interest rates, cost of goods costing 
more now than they did 4 years ago, ofttimes 28, 30, 35 percent more, 
Americans know. They don't want to pay more for an appliance that is 
inefficient. That is the gist of this debate.

  Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  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.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, enacted in 1975, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
provides specific criteria for the DOE to follow in order to propose a 
new appliance efficiency standard. I went over those standards earlier. 
The Biden administration has consistently ignored these requirements by 
proposing and finalizing standards that violate the statute.
  Mr. Speaker, I owe the gentleman from New Jersey an apology because I 
misspoke earlier when I said the payback period was 12 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a link to the Federal Register, 
Wednesday, April 24, 2024. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-
04-24/pdf/2024-08211.pdf.

[[Page H4503]]

  This is a table in the Federal Register, and it says it is a 16-year 
payback for dishwashers. I said 12. I apologize for misspeaking because 
it is really 16 years. This is not just words. These are in the Federal 
Register.
  Americans know that these standards will lessen the efficiency of 
appliances, will cost them more in upfront costs, and ultimately cost 
them more in inconvenience, in multiple run cycles, in cost over the 
lifetime when you have a 16-year payback.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the right piece of legislation to push back 
against the administrative overreach, and I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 7700, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1341, the previous question is ordered 
on the bill.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Casten of Illinois moves to recommit the bill H.R. 7700 
     to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

  The material previously referred to by Mr. Casten is as follows:

       Mr. Casten moves to recommit the bill H.R. 7700 to the 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce with instructions to report 
     the same back to the House forthwith, with the following 
     amendment:
       Add at the end the following:

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       This Act shall not take effect until the date on which the 
     Secretary of Energy submits to Congress a certification that 
     the implementation of this Act will not result in increasing 
     energy costs for consumers.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the 
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
  The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question are postponed.

                          ____________________