Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act

Floor Speech

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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.

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

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.

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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.

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