House Republicans are continuing to hammer the Biden administration for its move to take some gas stove models off the market, with two votes this week aimed at blocking the Democrats’ kitchen crackdown.
The GOP has been looking to defend the use of gas stoves ever since the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicated it could ban stoves for health reasons. That idea was scrapped, but it was followed by a proposed Department of Energy (DOE) regulation that would impose tough new energy efficiency standards for gas stoves.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., introduced the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act, which bars federal dollars from going toward regulatory efforts to ban gas stoves. The second bill, Save Our Gas Stoves Act, from Rep. Debbie Lesko’s, R-Ariz., would block the DOE from making its policy change.
"The Biden administration wants to exercise even more control over the daily lives of hardworking Americans by telling us what kind of stoves we can have in our homes," the office of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said when announcing this week’s expected votes on Sunday night.
"Gas stoves are, on average, 10 to 30% less expensive than electric stoves, making them a more affordable alternative as American families suffer under Biden’s inflation. Banning them would cost struggling families the most. Additionally, it would seriously impact small independent restaurants, driving up costs and potentially putting them out of business."
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In a proposed rule posted online in February and a follow-up analysis of that rule, the department estimated that about half of the gas stoves on the market today would not meet the new standard.
The bill is likely to pass the GOP-dominated House but, like most Republican agenda items, is not expected to be taken up in the Democratically-held Senate.
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The White House came out against banning gas stoves at the beginning of this year, after CPSC head Richard Trumka floated the idea in a Bloomberg interview.
And if earlier votes are any indication, the Republican bills could potentially get bipartisan support in the lower chamber.
An amendment introduced by GOP Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer, R-Ala., to House Republicans’ dense energy bill earlier this year, aimed at blocking the DOE gas stoves restrictions, passed with full Republican support as well as 29 Democrat "yes" votes.
