    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2025)]
    [House]
    [Pages H884-H889]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

     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''

      Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 161, I call up
    the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 20) providing for congressional
    disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule
    submitted by the Department of Energy relating to ``Energy Conservation
    Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired
    Instantaneous Water Heaters'', and ask for its immediate consideration
    in the House.
      The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 161, the joint
    resolution is considered read.
      The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                                  H.J. Res. 20

             Resolved by the Senate and House
         of<3-line {>presentatives of the United States of America in
         Congress assembled,  That Congress disapproves the rule
         submitted by the Department of Energy relating to ``Energy
         Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for
         Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters'' (89 Fed.
         Reg. 105188 (December 26, 2024)), and such rule shall have no
         force or effect.

      The SPEAKER pro tempore. The joint resolution 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 Ohio (Mr. Latta) and the gentleman from New Jersey
    (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.

    [[Page H885]]

      The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

                                  {time}  0915

                                 General Leave

      Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
    have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
    legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.J. Res. 20.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
    gentleman from Ohio?
      There was no objection.
      Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
      Mr. Speaker, on December 26, while American families were enjoying
    the holidays, the Biden administration's Department of Energy issued a
    final rule once again, setting cost prohibitive energy conservation
    standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters.
      Today, the House will consider the gentleman from Alabama's Sixth
    District's legislation, H.J. Res. 20, to overturn this egregious
    standard.
      Under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, EPCA, in order to
    promulgate new or amended energy efficiency standards, the DOE must
    find that the standard be cost-effective, technologically feasible, and
    result in a significant conservation of energy. This amended standard
    does not meet those criteria and should be repealed.
      In this final rule, the DOE fails to adequately estimate the cost
    difference between condensing and noncondensing water heaters. This
    difference will result in a significant cost increase for consumers,
    especially low-income households and seniors, by removing more
    affordable options from the market.
      In fact, the DOE itself estimated that the amended standard would
    increase the cost of new water heater models by $231. However, the DOE
    failed to adequately estimate the cost difference between condensing
    and noncondensing models in this assessment.
      On top of expensive installation costs, industry stakeholders
    estimate the actual cost increase for American consumers will range
    between $450 to $665 per unit. This staggering increase is not cost-
    effective, as stipulated by EPCA, and is unattainable for many
    families.
      The Biden-Harris administration consistently ignored this stipulation
    in a number of rulemakings, and the gas heater rule is no different.
      This amended standard will ban approximately 40 percent of the
    tankless gas water heaters currently available, forcing consumers to
    purchase significantly more expensive or less efficient models.
      Not only do bans on gas appliances infringe on consumer choice, but
    it also increases strains on our Nation's grid, which cannot sustain
    such massive and rapid amounts of forced electrification without new,
    baseload generation coming online.
      President Trump, understanding the serious concerns unjustified
    energy efficiency standards pose for consumers, issued an executive
    order on day one to unleash American energy. This EO stated that it is
    the policy of the United States to safeguard the American people's
    freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances.
      Additionally, this administration has paused implementation of this
    final rule and issued a Statement of Administration Policy supporting
    H.J. Res. 20. Congress should pass H.J. Res. 20 to right the wrongs of
    the previous administration, execute President Trump's agenda, and
    protect our consumers.
      I thank the gentleman from Alabama's Sixth District for his
    leadership.
      Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the
    balance of my time.
      Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
      Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 20, the second
    Republican resolution in just 2 days that will raise energy prices on
    Americans. This harmful resolution guts a Department of Energy
    efficiency rule on gas instantaneous, or tankless, water heaters.
      Energy efficiency standards, like the one Republicans are going after
    today, are a popular, commonsense tool to save Americans money on their
    energy bills. President Trump ran on a promise to cut energy costs in
    half his first year, but now Republicans and their billionaire friends
    are only making themselves richer while sending Americans' utility
    bills through the roof.
      Unfortunately, I guess it should not come as a surprise considering
    that earlier this week Republicans moved forward with a budget that
    includes devastating cuts to Medicaid and food assistance for our kids,
    our seniors, and our veterans, all so Republicans can give tax breaks
    to their millionaire buddies.
      Let me start off by dispelling a few myths about the water heater
    standards targeted by this resolution.
      First, these standards do not ban water heaters. Regardless of what
    the rightwing media and fossil fuel groups say, DOE cannot ban
    appliances based on their fuel type.
      Second, these standards do not remove consumer choice. American
    families can still walk into a store, pick out a gas tankless water
    heater, and have it installed in their homes. In fact, these standards
    preserve consumer choice. They ensure that all products on the market
    meet a certain level of energy efficiency so consumers can shop with
    confidence.
      The standards impact less than 10 percent of the gas water heater
    market, and right now, 60 percent of all models on the market already
    meet these standards. This isn't an effort to pull products from
    shelves. Instead, it is an effort to raise the quality of the products
    on the shelves. That is what we are trying to do with the standards.
      Third, and most importantly, these standards do not increase costs
    for consumers. They reduce total costs over the life of a water heater
    and save $3.31 billion for consumers over 30 years. They are also
    projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 million metric tons
    over 30 years.
      To summarize, these standards allow gas tankless water heaters to
    stay on the market, they preserve consumer choice, they lower costs for
    Americans, and they reduce emissions. So it is no wonder that these
    efficiency standards are supported by consumer advocates and American
    manufacturers--I stress American manufacturers--who want to preserve
    the standards.

      The Republican resolution before us today completely nullifies these
    energy efficiency standards. It steals, essentially, $3.1 billion in
    savings from Americans. Because it is a Congressional Review Act
    resolution, it goes one step further and prevents DOE from issuing
    substantially similar standards in the future.
      Now, why are Republicans pursuing something that is bad for
    consumers?
      It is because it is good for the gas industry. The American Gas
    Association and foreign manufacturers are on the side of this
    Republican resolution that will terminate the standards.
      Why?
      It is because inefficient appliances mean that gas companies sell
    more gas.
      Now, Mr. Speaker, if you look at where the manufacturers stand on
    this, three out of four major water heater manufacturers are in favor
    of the standards and are opposed to this resolution. All three of the
    manufacturers that support the efficiency standards are American
    manufacturers, and they have factories in many Republican districts
    across the country.
      Foreign manufacturers, however, are lobbying against these standards
    because they don't want to spend a comparatively small amount of money
    to retool their factories to produce more efficient water heaters.
      I understand that companies are reluctant to spend money, but what I
    don't understand is why Republicans are willing to rob Americans of
    $3.1 billion in savings, all to help multibillion dollar foreign
    companies save a few million dollars.
      Republicans have made their choice. They have basically sided--and I
    guess that is not surprising--with their oil and gas friends, and they
    have sided also in this case with foreign manufacturers.
      So, Mr. Speaker, for the sake of American families, American
    manufacturers, and our climate, I urge my colleagues to oppose this
    resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
      Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
    (Mr. Weber), who is the vice-chair of the Committee on Energy and
    Commerce's Energy Subcommittee.
      Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear made-up
    stories

    [[Page H886]]

    on the other side of the aisle, the once upon a time stories, if you
    will.
      Nonetheless, in the eleventh hour, Joe Biden, or more accurately, his
    handlers, pushed through yet another overreaching regulation that
    forces the Federal Government into Americans' homes, dictating what
    appliances Americans can use or cannot use.
      News flash: This is America. The government has absolutely no
    business making these decisions for hardworking families. Consumers,
    not Washington bureaucrats, should decide what works best for their
    homes and for their families.
      Yet, thanks to Biden's mandate on his way out the door, I might add,
    American families are now looking at a whopping $235 million in
    additional costs every single year. That is real money coming out of
    real pockets of real Americans, all to appease the radical Green New
    Deal agenda.
      Today that ends. House Republicans are taking action to stop this
    Federal overreach. H.J. Res. 20, introduced by my colleague, Gary
    Palmer, sends a clear message: We reject the Biden administration's
    radical energy mandates.
      This resolution expresses congressional disapproval of the Department
    of Energy's rule that effectively bans certain natural gas water
    heaters which burdens families with higher costs while stripping them
    of consumer choice.
      House Republicans will continue fighting to protect American families
    from Washington's overregulation and ensure that those same hardworking
    Americans, not government bureaucrats, decide what appliances belong in
    their homes.
      Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 20 and stand
    for consumer choice, affordability, and freedom.
      Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
    gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) who is the ranking member of our
    subcommittee.
      Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for
    yielding the time.
      Mr. Speaker, here we are at the end of February, 2 months into the
    new congressional session, and House Republicans haven't offered one
    bill to lower the cost of living for our neighbors back home. Instead,
    they bring this silly bill to the floor, a bill to force to working
    families to spend more money, to use more energy, and to sell out
    American manufacturers.
      Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have stood idly by while there has
    been an illegal shutdown of grants and loans to our local communities
    and nonprofits that help people save money and help families.
      Plus, House Republicans didn't raise any concern when the new
    President illegally fired Inspectors General and prosecutors who are
    charged with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, and that includes in
    the Department of Energy.
      It gets worse because Republicans now are barreling toward a massive
    tax giveaway to billionaires paid for on the backs of American
    families, children, our neighbors with disabilities, our older
    neighbors, and grandparents in nursing homes.
      This is not business as usual. I know Republicans bring a bill here
    and they say: Okay. This is just like what we have always done.
      This is not business as usual.
      Where is the House Republicans' outrage that everything they have
    worked on congressionally mandated through appropriations is just
    illegally frozen?
      It is not business as usual.
      This resolution is the latest of a whole lot of nonsense. It is hard
    to explain, except when we realize that oil and gas companies often
    have their way here in Washington, D.C.
      We wasted hours and hours over the past couple of years trying to
    demonize energy efficient appliances. These kinds of appliances are
    popular. There has been a law in place for decades that says that every
    few years we update these appliance standards. Manufacturers work on
    it, advocates work on it, and they come together and update it.
      This actual residential water heater standard hasn't been updated
    since 2010. Here we are in 2025, and the standard we are discussing
    today effects less than 10 percent of all water heater sales and most,
    over 100, of these models already meet this standard.
      Meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, if you want to talk about cost savings, it
    was Democrats who put in place tax credits and rebates to help everyday
    Americans lower the cost of their energy bill on appliances.
      This is one of the reasons why we are so angry.
      Part of the illegal freeze on government initiatives also impacts the
    money that should be going into the pockets of our neighbors back home.
    This includes the home energy rebates. Those are the rebates that help
    consumers save money on select home improvement projects that can lower
    energy bills by providing up to $14,000 a year for homeowners as they
    update their homes.
      Mr. Speaker, you had better believe this is important to my neighbors
    in Florida recovering from hurricanes Helene and Milton. They would
    love to be able to get these funds to help them repair their homes.
    Right now, frozen in Florida is $346 million that could be helping
    everyday Floridians recover from the storms as they repair their homes.
      That is not the only one. Weatherization assistance, very smart, has
    often been bipartisan in the past. Elon Musk and this new
    administration have frozen it. They have frozen billions of dollars
    that go to working-class households to improve the energy efficiency of
    their homes. In Florida alone, $94 million that should be flowing to my
    neighbors to help them weatherize their homes and save money is frozen.
      So what Republicans are doing by freezing this and by trying to roll
    back energy appliance standards is contributing to the rising cost of
    energy for families and businesses. It is a dereliction of duty. They
    are turning a blind eye to the peoples' pocketbook. Democrats are going
    to fight for the peoples' pocketbook.
      Meanwhile, an unelected billionaire who has made his vast fortune on
    government contracts should not be able to unilaterally stop and take
    money out of the pockets of American families, of the Americans who
    need it most.
      Here is the warning, because this major tax giveaway that House
    Republicans are hammering out says to our committee: Find $880 billion.
      Republicans say: Oh, okay. Maybe there is enough waste, fraud, and
    abuse--even though they have taken the Inspectors General off the
    playing field to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. There is no way that
    you can say improper payments total up to $880 billion.

                                  {time}  0930

      Republicans shouldn't gaslight us and Americans if the majority is
    concerned about a major tax giveaway so that billionaires can have more
    money and Americans are going to have less healthcare for their
    grandparents and their children. It is not right, and we are not going
    to stand for it.
      Mr. Speaker, who really benefits here on these tankless gas water
    heaters? Let me pull the curtain back. As they build homes, big
    corporate housing developers often install a slightly cheaper, less-
    efficient model, and they pass on the costs of higher energy bills to
    that new homeowner for the next 20 years.
      Foreign manufacturers are going to benefit here. The American
    manufacturers who have participated in these energy efficiency
    standards aren't going to benefit. It is the foreign manufacturers who
    will get to sell their inferior, less-efficient appliances and take
    away sales from U.S. manufacturers.
      It is the American Gas Association who will get to sell more
    polluting fossil gas to power inefficient appliances and pass the costs
    on to working families.
      Once my colleagues take a closer look, Members will see this
    resolution really doesn't hold water. It does nothing to lower costs
    for working families. It does nothing to support American companies. It
    does nothing to address the real challenges facing our families back
    home.
      It is a warning. It is a warning shot across the bow that this is not
    business as usual. It is a hold-on-to-your-wallet moment because the
    unelected billionaires who are calling the shots, who are reaching into
    citizens' wallets, and who are going to take away our healthcare want
    to rule the day.

    [[Page H887]]

      House Democrats are not going to stand for it. We are going to
    continue to hold Republicans accountable. We are going to hold this
    administration accountable. We are going to fight for our constituents'
    wallets and pocketbooks, and we are going to make sure that Republicans
    are not going to be able to say that this kind of ridiculous stuff is
    business as usual here in the House of Representatives.
      It is not. We believe in checks and balances. We believe in the
    hardworking Americans. We do not countenance unfairness and trying to
    steal from our kids, loading them up with massive debt and saying that
    their health doesn't matter in this country. It does.
      Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this
    resolution. It is not business as usual, and people need to know it.
      Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from the
    Sixth District of Alabama (Mr. Palmer), the sponsor of the resolution.
      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.''
      Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
      Mr. Speaker, I listened to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer),
    who I greatly respect. When he talks about prices, since President
    Trump was inaugurated, prices have gone through the roof. Grocery
    prices, egg prices, meat prices, fish prices, and poultry prices are
    all up even more than ever. Electricity costs are way up, along with
    housing prices.
      Mr. Speaker, the gentleman mentions American jobs. As I mentioned
    earlier, I think it needs to be reiterated that American manufacturers
    support these water heater standards. Three out of four major water
    heater manufacturers are against today's resolution, and all three are
    American companies.
      The manufacturers that are in favor of this resolution and against
    the standards are foreign manufacturers.
      If this resolution is successful, Republicans are giving foreign
    manufacturers an advantage over domestic manufacturers. Foreign
    manufacturers are against the standards because they don't want to
    spend a bit of money on retrofits to their factories in order to switch
    their production over to products that meet the standards.
      Republicans have decided that it is more important to save foreign
    manufacturers some money than it is to save $3.1 billion for American
    families. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have decided to
    listen to the lobbying efforts of foreign companies over domestic
    companies, many of whom have factories in Republican districts.
      Madam Speaker, it just doesn't make any sense to me. The Trump
    administration is all about America first, but the words are
    meaningless when it comes down to it. Republicans aren't here to stand
    up for American families and American companies. It is very much the
    opposite. My colleagues are here to attack regulations and help out
    their Big Oil and Gas friends.
      Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand with American companies
    and families and to vote against this resolution, and I reserve the
    balance of my time.
      Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from the
    Third District of Georgia (Mr. Jack).
      Mr. JACK. Madam Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
    Palmer) for his leadership on this resolution, and I rise today in
    strong support of H.J. Res. 20.
      Madam Speaker, H.J. Res. 20 is a resolution authorized by the
    Congressional Review Act that will enable our Congress to repeal a job-
    killing regulation that would ban and eliminate noncondensing tankless
    water heaters, an American product made by blue-collar American workers
    in the heart of my congressional district in Georgia.
      This regulation was imposed on December 26, 2024, in the midnight
    hour of the Biden administration and the day after Christmas, putting
    in peril the livelihoods of hundreds of my constituents during the
    holiday season.
      Madam Speaker, I should also note that the timing of this regulation
    was 7 weeks after Americans overwhelmingly rejected the Biden-Harris
    regulatory regime.
      To my colleagues who support the free market, this job-killing
    regulation eliminates consumer choice by effectively enabling nameless
    and faceless bureaucrats to choose which companies may operate and
    which companies may not operate in the marketplace for household
    appliances.
      Ultimately, under this regulation, the American consumer would
    suffer, and hundreds of hardworking Georgians in my congressional
    district would be without a job. That is why I urge my colleagues to
    join me in support of this critical legislation.
      To put everything that we have heard today into perspective,
    noncondensing tankless water heaters account for 40 percent of our
    country's tankless water heater market. A majority of those water
    heaters are manufactured in my congressional district, in the heart of
    Georgia, by an incredible company called Rinnai America Corporation.
      These appliances are the most advanced and efficient noncondensing

    [[Page H888]]

    tankless water heaters on the market. Perhaps most importantly, which I
    would encourage the other side to research, Rinnai America is the only
    company that builds noncondensing tankless water heaters on American
    soil.
      Rinnai America is headquartered in my hometown of Peachtree City,
    Georgia, and it opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility 3
    years ago in Griffin, Georgia, two cities I proudly represent in this
    Congress.
      Over 500 of my constituents are working to manufacture and market
    these water heaters the Biden administration attempted to outlaw. The
    job-killing regulation we seek to repeal today is another painful
    example of the radical left's never-ending war on hydrocarbons and
    American energy production.
      The sinister purpose of this regulation was to try to single out and
    eliminate an American manufacturer of water heaters to benefit their
    competitors.
      Madam Speaker, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have
    spent an enormous amount of time in the past few weeks arguing that my
    Democratic colleagues are the party of blue-collar American workers. In
    the spirit of bipartisanship, I encourage my Democratic colleagues to
    join me in support of this resolution to protect and champion hundreds
    of blue-collar American jobs in the heart of our country.
      To my Republican colleagues, let's join together as a team and end
    this war on American energy production now.
      As the distinguished gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer) noted,
    President Trump's White House has explicitly endorsed this resolution.
    I urge all of my Republican colleagues to join me and vote for this
    critical legislation to empower consumer choice, champion American
    manufacturing, and save blue-collar jobs in the heart of our country.

      Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
    consume.
      Madam Speaker, I respect the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jack) for
    looking out for his district, but this plant that he is talking about
    in his district is the Japanese company. This is the one non-American
    manufacturing company.
      All of the other companies that manufacture these products are
    American, and they are the ones that support these energy efficiencies
    because they have made the investments and created more jobs when they
    retrofitted their companies for this product.
      Madam Speaker, this company is a multibillion-dollar Japanese company
    in Georgia. It is estimated that it would cost them about $10 million
    to retrofit their plant so that they could produce more efficient
    tanks, and they don't want to do it. They don't want to make that
    investment, which would create more jobs.
      Madam Speaker, I understand where my friend, the gentleman from
    Georgia (Mr. Jack), is coming from, but we have to look at this as the
    total picture.
      Most of these tanks are manufactured in the United States by American
    companies, and they are in a lot of the red States. They are in
    Tennessee, for example. They are saying: This is fine. We want the more
    efficient standards. We want to save Americans money. We are the good
    actors, not the bad actors.
      Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia
    (Ms. McClellan), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
      Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey
    (Mr. Pallone) for yielding me time.
      Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 20,
    which will undo a commonsense energy conservation standard and raise
    costs for consumers, all to benefit the gas industry.
      My friends on the other side of the aisle talk a lot about how we
    need to lower costs, we need to lower costs, we need to lower costs.
      The best way, the fastest way, and the most efficient way to lower
    energy costs and to lower utility bill costs that every American pays
    is to reduce energy demand.

                                  {time}  0945

      We have seen that time and time again. This standard is a way to help
    lower energy demand needed for water heaters. Energy efficiency
    standards are popular, and it is a commonsense tool and, again, the
    fastest way to save taxpayers and American people money on their energy
    bills.
      This resolution targets these standards, not realizing that these
    standards will save consumers $3.1 billion and are good for the
    environment because they cut 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
    emissions over 30 years.
      All major manufacturers already sell models that meet these
    standards, which is why they widely support the standards. Consumer
    groups, efficiency advocates, and consumers widely support the
    standards.
      Again, the only manufacturers that oppose them are the foreign
    manufacturers and industry CEOs who make more money when water heaters
    are less efficient and use more gas.
      Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution and
    live up to the promise of lowering costs for the American people by
    lowering their energy bills.
      Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the
    balance of my time.
      Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
      Madam Speaker, I will call out some of the problems that I see on the
    Republican side in terms of their arguments that we have heard this
    morning.
      Over the last 2 years, Republicans have claimed that they care about
    energy costs. On the campaign trail, they repeatedly promised to lower
    costs and lower inflation, but, again, none of their actions line up
    with their promises.
      If you are paying attention to energy load growth in this country,
    you know that, in addition to increasing generation, we have to
    incorporate ways of reducing energy demand. Energy conservation
    standards are one of the tools that help lower costs and help reduce
    demand.
      The previous administration's efficiency standards are estimated to
    save consumers $1 trillion over 30 years. That is a trillion dollars.
    The water heater standards alone would save $3.1 billion--that is, if
    Republicans don't kill the standards right here today, which is what
    they are doing.
      Republicans don't want Americans to realize those savings. They want
    Americans to be stuck with older, energy-guzzling appliances that cost
    more money every time you turn them on. I think that is ridiculous and
    so should everyone else in this Chamber.
      Republicans claim they are concerned about the higher upfront costs
    of these appliances, but 2\1/2\ years ago, when we voted on the
    Inflation Reduction Act, which contained $9 billion in rebates and
    other investments in lowering the costs of energy-efficient appliances,
    Republicans all voted no.
      Madam Speaker, let's review. They don't want to make positive
    economic investments because they are concerned about the upfront
    costs, but then they also refuse to take action to lower those costs.
    If you brought that mentality to the private sector, you would be fired
    in a heartbeat, but that is the orthodoxy in today's Trump-Musk
    Republican Party.
      Lowering energy costs for consumers via efficiency gains used to be a
    bipartisan issue. We made real progress on this in 1992 and again in
    2005, but somewhere along the way, Republicans decided to become the
    party of higher energy costs rather than the ones fighting for the
    American homeowner. That is a real shame.
      For that reason, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no''
    on this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
      Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
      Madam Speaker, we have heard from various speakers today, but I think
    it is really important to point out that, once again, because of the
    Biden-Harris administration's gas heater rule, we are going to ban
    approximately 40 percent of the tankless gas water heaters currently
    available, forcing consumers to have to pay more and get less efficient
    models.
      This doesn't make sense. Not only does this rule go on to ban these
    gas appliances and infringe on consumer choice, but it also increases
    strains on the Nation's grid, which cannot sustain

    [[Page H889]]

    such massive and rapid amounts of forced electrification without new
    baseload generation coming online.
      When we talk about this loss of consumer choice, the DOE
    underestimated the cost by $231 because when you look at the actual
    costs out there, industry stakeholders are estimating it is going to
    bring the cost up between $450 to $665 per unit.
      I think it is also important to note that, in the last Congress, in
    the Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy Subcommittee, I asked
    everybody who came before us the same question when we had these
    testimonies: Do we have to have more energy in this country or less?
    Everybody said the exact same thing. We have to produce more energy in
    this country, but we also have to make sure we are producing the energy
    to make that energy in this country.
      Republicans have led that way starting back in 2008 with our all-of-
    the-above energy policy, which said we weren't going to pick winners
    and losers. We were going to let the consumer decide and let the market
    decide, and that is important.
      If we are going to make sure we become energy independent in this
    country, we have to start thinking about those things. It is important.
      Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of H.J. Res. 20, and I yield back
    the balance of my time.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller of West Virginia). All time for
    debate has expired.
      Pursuant to House Resolution 161, the previous question is ordered on
    the joint resolution.
      The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint
    resolution.
      The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third
    time, and was read the third time.
      The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the joint
    resolution.
      The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
    the ayes appeared to have it.
      Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
      The yeas and nays were ordered.
      The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 221,
    nays 198, answered ``present'' 2, not voting 12, as follows:

                                 [Roll No. 53]

                                   YEAS--221

         Aderholt
         Allen
         Amodei (NV)
         Arrington
         Babin
         Bacon
         Baird
         Balderson
         Barr
         Barrett
         Baumgartner
         Bean (FL)
         Begich
         Bentz
         Bergman
         Bice
         Biggs (AZ)
         Biggs (SC)
         Bilirakis
         Boebert
         Bost
         Brecheen
         Bresnahan
         Buchanan
         Burchett
         Burlison
         Bynum
         Calvert
         Cammack
         Carey
         Carter (GA)
         Carter (TX)
         Ciscomani
         Cline
         Cloud
         Clyde
         Cole
         Collins
         Comer
         Crane
         Crank
         Crawford
         Crenshaw
         Cuellar
         Davidson
         Davis (NC)
         De La Cruz
         DesJarlais
         Diaz-Balart
         Downing
         Dunn (FL)
         Edwards
         Ellzey
         Emmer
         Estes
         Evans (CO)
         Ezell
         Fallon
         Fedorchak
         Feenstra
         Finstad
         Fischbach
         Fitzgerald
         Fitzpatrick
         Fleischmann
         Flood
         Fong
         Foxx
         Franklin, Scott
         Fulcher
         Garbarino
         Gill (TX)
         Gillen
         Gimenez
         Golden (ME)
         Goldman (TX)
         Gonzales, Tony
         Gonzalez, V.
         Gooden
         Gosar
         Graves
         Gray
         Green (TN)
         Greene (GA)
         Griffith
         Grothman
         Guest
         Guthrie
         Hageman
         Hamadeh (AZ)
         Haridopolos
         Harrigan
         Harris (MD)
         Harris (NC)
         Harshbarger
         Hern (OK)
         Higgins (LA)
         Hill (AR)
         Hinson
         Houchin
         Hudson
         Huizenga
         Hurd (CO)
         Issa
         Jack
         Jackson (TX)
         James
         Johnson (LA)
         Johnson (SD)
         Jordan
         Joyce (OH)
         Joyce (PA)
         Kean
         Kelly (MS)
         Kelly (PA)
         Kennedy (UT)
         Kiggans (VA)
         Kiley (CA)
         Kim
         Knott
         Kustoff
         LaHood
         LaLota
         LaMalfa
         Langworthy
         Latta
         Lawler
         Lee (FL)
         Letlow
         Loudermilk
         Lucas
         Luna
         Luttrell
         Mace
         Mackenzie
         Malliotakis
         Maloy
         Mann
         Massie
         Mast
         McCaul
         McClain
         McClintock
         McCormick
         McDowell
         McGuire
         Messmer
         Meuser
         Miller (IL)
         Miller (OH)
         Miller (WV)
         Miller-Meeks
         Mills
         Moolenaar
         Moore (AL)
         Moore (NC)
         Moore (UT)
         Moore (WV)
         Moran
         Moskowitz
         Murphy
         Newhouse
         Norman
         Nunn (IA)
         Obernolte
         Ogles
         Onder
         Owens
         Palmer
         Perez
         Perry
         Pfluger
         Reschenthaler
         Rogers (AL)
         Rogers (KY)
         Rose
         Rouzer
         Roy
         Rulli
         Rutherford
         Salazar
         Scalise
         Schmidt
         Schweikert
         Self
         Sessions
         Shreve
         Simpson
         Smith (MO)
         Smith (NE)
         Smith (NJ)
         Smucker
         Spartz
         Stauber
         Steil
         Steube
         Strong
         Stutzman
         Suozzi
         Taylor
         Tenney
         Thompson (PA)
         Tiffany
         Timmons
         Turner (OH)
         Valadao
         Van Drew
         Van Duyne
         Vindman
         Wagner
         Walberg
         Weber (TX)
         Webster (FL)
         Westerman
         Wied
         Williams (TX)
         Wilson (SC)
         Wittman
         Womack
         Yakym
         Zinke

                                   NAYS--198

         Adams
         Aguilar
         Amo
         Ansari
         Auchincloss
         Balint
         Barragan
         Beatty
         Bell
         Bera
         Beyer
         Bishop
         Bonamici
         Boyle (PA)
         Brown
         Brownley
         Budzinski
         Carbajal
         Carson
         Carter (LA)
         Casar
         Case
         Casten
         Castor (FL)
         Castro (TX)
         Cherfilus-McCormick
         Chu
         Cisneros
         Clark (MA)
         Clarke (NY)
         Cleaver
         Clyburn
         Cohen
         Conaway
         Connolly
         Correa
         Costa
         Courtney
         Craig
         Crockett
         Crow
         Davids (KS)
         Davis (IL)
         Dean (PA)
         DeGette
         DeLauro
         DelBene
         Deluzio
         DeSaulnier
         Dexter
         Dingell
         Doggett
         Elfreth
         Escobar
         Espaillat
         Evans (PA)
         Fields
         Figures
         Fletcher
         Foster
         Foushee
         Friedman
         Frost
         Garamendi
         Garcia (CA)
         Garcia (IL)
         Garcia (TX)
         Goldman (NY)
         Gomez
         Goodlander
         Green, Al (TX)
         Harder (CA)
         Hayes
         Himes
         Horsford
         Houlahan
         Hoyer
         Hoyle (OR)
         Huffman
         Ivey
         Jackson (IL)
         Jacobs
         Jayapal
         Jeffries
         Johnson (GA)
         Johnson (TX)
         Kamlager-Dove
         Kaptur
         Keating
         Kelly (IL)
         Kennedy (NY)
         Khanna
         Krishnamoorthi
         Landsman
         Larsen (WA)
         Larson (CT)
         Latimer
         Lee (NV)
         Lee (PA)
         Leger Fernandez
         Levin
         Liccardo
         Lieu
         Lofgren
         Lynch
         Magaziner
         Mannion
         Matsui
         McBath
         McBride
         McClain Delaney
         McClellan
         McCollum
         McDonald Rivet
         McGarvey
         McGovern
         McIver
         Meeks
         Menendez
         Meng
         Mfume
         Min
         Moore (WI)
         Morelle
         Morrison
         Moulton
         Mrvan
         Nadler
         Neal
         Neguse
         Norcross
         Ocasio-Cortez
         Olszewski
         Pallone
         Panetta
         Pappas
         Pelosi
         Peters
         Pingree
         Pocan
         Pou
         Pressley
         Quigley
         Ramirez
         Randall
         Raskin
         Riley (NY)
         Rivas
         Ross
         Ruiz
         Ryan
         Salinas
         Sanchez
         Scanlon
         Schakowsky
         Schneider
         Scholten
         Schrier
         Scott (VA)
         Scott, David
         Sewell
         Sherman
         Sherrill
         Simon
         Smith (WA)
         Sorensen
         Soto
         Stansbury
         Stanton
         Stevens
         Strickland
         Subramanyam
         Swalwell
         Sykes
         Takano
         Thanedar
         Thompson (CA)
         Thompson (MS)
         Titus
         Tlaib
         Tokuda
         Tonko
         Torres (CA)
         Torres (NY)
         Trahan
         Tran
         Turner (TX)
         Underwood
         Vargas
         Vasquez
         Veasey
         Velazquez
         Wasserman Schultz
         Waters
         Watson Coleman
         Whitesides
         Williams (GA)
         Wilson (FL)

                            ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--2

         Fry
         Van Orden

                                 NOT VOTING--12

         Alford
         Donalds
         Frankel, Lois
         Gottheimer
         Grijalva
         Hunt
         Mullin
         Nehls
         Omar
         Pettersen
         Scott, Austin
         Stefanik

                                  {time}  1026

      Mr. LANDSMAN changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
      Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, Mses. BYNUM, and GILLEN changed their
    vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
      Mr. CLEAVER changed his vote from ``present'' to ``nay.''
      Mr. VAN ORDEN changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``present.''
      So the joint resolution was passed.
      The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
      A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
      Stated for:
      Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I'm not recorded because
    I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA
    on Roll Call No. 53.
      Stated against:
      Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY
    on Roll Call No. 53.
      Ms. PETTERSEN. Madam Speaker, I missed votes due to recently giving
    birth. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 53.

                              ____________________