PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4626, DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4758, HOMEOWNER ENERGY FREEDOM ACT

On 2026-02-24, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4626, DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R" in the House. The speech addressed the economy and also covered taxes, climate policy. It referenced legislation including HR4626, HR4758, HR7615, among other bills.

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4626, DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4758, HOMEOWNER ENERGY FREEDOM ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2269-H2276] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4626, DON'T MESS WITH MY HOME APPLIANCES ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4758, HOMEOWNER ENERGY FREEDOM ACT Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1075 and ask for its immediate consideration. The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 1075 Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 4626) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from prescribing any new or amended energy conservation standard for a product that is not technologically feasible and economically justified, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Energy and Commerce now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-20 shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit. Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 4758) to repeal provisions of Public Law 117-169 relating to taxpayer subsidies for home electrification, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia is recognized for 1 hour. Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia? There was no objection. Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Rules Committee met and reported out a rule providing for consideration of two measures: H.R. 4626, the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act, and H.R. 4758, Homeowner Energy Freedom Act under closed rules. The rule provides each measure 1 hour of debate, equally divided and [[Page H2270]] controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit for each measure. There has been much talk this week about affordability and what can be done to push prices down. Republicans are working on lowering prices with bills like the two contained in this rule. H.R. 4758 repeals three sections of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act that were essentially subsidies for replacing natural gas appliances with electric-powered appliances. In particular, the so- called High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act was intended to distort the appliance market by discouraging the installation of lower cost natural gas appliances. Instead of leaning on subsidies, electric-powered appliance manufacturers should win the consumer over on their products' attributes and merits. These appliance subsidies were the fruit of an ideology that demands the end of natural gas, the end of significant consumer choice, and the end of fuel competition. These subsidies were really intended to make it too expensive to not buy electric stoves and electric hot water heaters. Mr. Speaker, don't misunderstand me. I do not begrudge anyone for buying an electric stove or an electric hot water heater. That should be their choice. Maybe that type of appliance works best for their household. This subsidy is really disappointing. We are taking taxpayer dollars and supporting one class of appliances over another and even giving the subsidy to rich folks. This is just a recipe to increase inflation and make prices go up. No one can tell me that subsidizing electric appliances by--Mr. Speaker, listen to this--$4.275 billion would not cause relative appliance prices to skyrocket. Every day we can see how the so-called Inflation Reduction Act has been given one of the most paradoxical bill titles ever in the United States Congress. This was because, after passage, as we have seen, inflation ran rampant. Only recently has that inflation rate started to ebb. That is because of the policies of this House and the Trump administration. Republicans are not, as my colleagues might try to tell us, trying to ban electric stoves at all. Some of my colleagues on the other side would try to abandon or eliminate certain fuel sources from being used. H.R. 4758 also repeals a section of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to train contractors on how to install these electric appliances. While a contractor training program might have some use, it received a huge appropriation of $200 million. Finally, this bill would repeal a $1 billion program that essentially tried to cajole States, counties, and cities into implementing a zero- energy building code. This opaque emissions accounting scheme attempts to have every building, whether it be a home, commercial storefront, or industrial site, be forced into either purchasing an equal amount of renewable energy or producing as much renewable energy as is consumed on site. Mr. Speaker, Republicans are bringing bills to the floor that repeal wasteful programs that I believe, as in the case of this zero-energy code section, would end up increasing the final cost for new homes. When new home prices go up, everybody in the industry knows that leads to increases in the cost of existing homes. I am sure some might ask: Well, how can that be? Mr. Speaker, here is what happens. {time} 1220 If you go to sell your house, you want to get the highest price available. If it costs 20 percent more to put a new house on the market, then all the existing inventory goes up in price at least 18 to 19 percent. If you buy an existing home, your price goes up, as well, because you, as the seller, want to maximize the amount of money you can get out of what is, for most Americans, the largest investment they will ever make. This resolution would also allow H.R. 4626, the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act, to come to the floor. This bill is important to lower costs for all Americans. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act was enacted in 1975. I don't know where my colleague on the other side of the aisle was in 1975, but I was still in high school. At that time, we had a real shortage of energy in our country. We weren't producing enough, and we were relying on foreign sources. I submit to you that the bill that we are bringing up this week will save Americans money and energy in a more efficient manner than the 1975 solution. Mr. Speaker, in 1975, most Americans weren't even born. I don't think you were born in 1975. You look too young. The gentleman has confirmed that with a smile. What good is an appliance efficiency standard if a small amount of energy is saved, but the cost of the appliance is out of the range of the average family? The Department of Energy has interpreted the act's ``technologically feasible and economically justified'' test to implement standards that barely save a consumer a couple of dollars in electricity per year. Energy efficiency is great, but not when it leads to appliances that cost more than they save. This bill would put in a more exact standard. An energy efficiency regulation would have to forecast a saving of at least 10 percent of the appliance's energy consumption before a new standard is implemented. H.R. 4626 will certainly lower the cost of buying new shower heads, dishwashers, washers, and dryers for all consumers. Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members of this House support the passage of the rule and then the underlying bills. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith) for yielding the customary 30 minutes. Mr. Speaker, you have to love these Republicans. I mean, they have no problems with subsidies for Big Oil, Big Tech, Big Ag, or big tax cuts for multimillionaires and billionaires. Yet, when it comes to helping consumers afford electric water heaters or stoves, all of a sudden, they have a big problem. I just don't get it. I mean, that is where their attention is, on going after consumers, making life more difficult for everyday working families. Mr. Speaker, tonight is the State of the Union, and I am sure that the President is going to come here and paint a very rosy picture, indeed. He is going to say that the economy 

Referenced legislation: HRES1075, HRES1075, HR4626, HR4758, HR7615