The Senate passed a joint resolution to repeal a Department of Energy (DOE) appliance standard on Wednesday by a margin of 52-46, further advancing the roll-back of Biden-era green energy regulations on household appliances.
Republican Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde is the lead sponsor of the joint resolution of disapproval H.J. Res. 42, which aims to nullify a rule issued by the DOE on October 9, 2024 under former President Joe Biden which added new efficiency and reporting regulations for appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and AC units. Sen. Jon Husted forwarded the resolution to the House, where it passed on March 5 on a bipartisan vote.
“It’s important that my first bill to go to the president’s desk eliminates regulations for the American people instead of adding to them,” Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted who sponsored the House bill wrote in a press release provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Bureaucratic, out-of-touch regulations make it harder for taxpayers to afford appliances. My resolution would cut red tape for manufacturers, restore consumer choice and lower costs for hardworking Americans across the country,” he said.
The increased regulatory standards and reporting rules from the Biden administration targeted 20 household and commercial products, including dishwashers, central air conditioning units, heat pumps and more. This primes the market to feature energy efficient models — which are often more expensive — and phase out lower-efficiency options, essentially forcing the consumer to purchase the newest models.
The Alliance for Consumers conducted an analysis of appliance costs under the Biden administration’s regulations and found that the average American household could face over $9,000 in added expenses.
Husted’s effort would rescind the new certification, labeling and enforcement requirements for these items.
“I applaud the Senate for passing my commonsense resolution to reverse Biden’s DOE energy efficiency standards that place needless red tape on manufacturers, limit consumer choice, and increase prices for hardworking Americans,” Clyde said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Both consumers and manufacturers are sick and tired of Washington bureaucrats raising costs and stifling innovation through unnecessary mandates. Thankfully, Congress is taking critical steps to repeal harmful regulations that the Biden-Harris Administration forced on our country. I look forward to H.J.Res. 42 arriving on President Trump’s desk for his signature so we can overturn yet another burdensome Biden-era rule for the American people.”
“[W]e believe that regulatory power should be used judiciously. And it’s why we’re committed to eliminating rules that impose unjustified burdens,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the senate floor Wednesday. “Often these regulations were part of the Biden administration’s radical climate agenda,” he continued.
“Over the last four years, the Biden administration subjected Americans to an onslaught of regulations. Altogether, the Biden regulatory agenda cost $1.8 trillion. It heaped thousands of hours of paperwork on business owners, energy producers, and other hardworking Americans. And to what end?” Thune added.
This comes after President Donald Trump’s administration and the GOP have targeted other Biden-era regulations, such as H.J. Res. 24 and H.J. Res. 75, introduced nullify rules targeting commercial refrigerators, freezers and refrigerator-freezers.
“Before leaving office, the Biden administration pushed through a record number of extreme and costly regulations on the U.S. economy,” H.J. Res. 75 bill sponsor Republican Texas Rep. Craig Goldman said in a March 27 press release. “These unnecessary rules place an undue burden on businesses and drive up costs for both small businesses and consumers. I am proud to lead this effort to repeal excessive regulation on commercial refrigeration equipment and deliver real cost savings to hardworking Americans.”
“I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on LIGHTBULBS, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on February 11. “I look forward to signing these Orders. THANK YOU!!!”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Clyde’s office.
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