Saving Homeowners From Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act

Floor Speech

The American people are struggling to make ends meet. They are feeling the pinch of the affordability crisis and bearing the brunt of rising costs at the hands of Republicans. Yet my colleagues continue to turn a blind eye to the cost-of-living crisis. In fact, President Trump has called the affordability crisis a con job and a Democratic scam.

That is how out of touch they are, Mr. Speaker. Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and electricity bills are through the roof. Meanwhile, President Trump just illegally invaded Venezuela, and Secretary Kennedy is putting children's lives at risk by restricting access to vaccines.

There is a lot this Congress could be doing this week, but the first bill Republicans bring to the floor in 2026 is about showerheads. It is almost impossible to believe. To make matters worse, this bill will actually drive up monthly utility bills for American families.

Electricity prices are up 13 percent across the country. Eighty million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills, and Republicans want to make that financial pain even worse. Meanwhile, grocery prices are surging, and, of course, monthly healthcare premiums are skyrocketing across the Nation, thanks to the healthcare crisis Republicans created by failing to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits. As a result of their inaction, more than 20 million Americans are now facing skyrocketing monthly healthcare premiums. In many cases, and I will say in my home State of New Jersey, Mr. Speaker, they are double or triple the cost that they paid last year.

We just heard a debate on the discharge petition a few minutes ago, and as a result of that discharge petition, and no thanks to most of the Republicans and the leadership, we are going to have an opportunity to vote on the premium tax credits. The bottom line is that that has nothing to do with the Republican leadership. This was a Democratic initiative that a few Republicans finally joined with us so that we have an opportunity to vote on it.

There isn't a single thing that the Republicans can point to about dealing with the affordability crisis that they have created. President Trump and his Republican accomplices are completely out of touch with the alarming reality millions of Americans are facing. Republicans have no plans to address affordability, and I think today proves it.

They are beginning this new Congress with a bill that changes the definition of ``showerhead'' in order to open the door for the Trump administration to increase already rising monthly utility bills and to waste our scarce water resources. This bill would actually increase costs for consumers.

In Trump's first term, he redefined ``showerheads'' to allow them to use significantly more energy and water. Showerheads with multiple nozzles could vastly exceed the current limits. For example, a showerhead with eight nozzles could use up to 20 gallons of water per minute under Trump's 2020 definition.

Think about this, Mr. Speaker: You are raising the costs. You are increasing utility bills not only for electricity but also for water. You are wasting energy, and you are wasting water.

The bottom line is that manufacturers didn't want this. They largely rejected this move by President Trump and didn't produce showerheads that exceeded the limit that existed. That was because they knew that consumers value money-saving and water conservation showerheads that are good for both their wallets and the environment.

Energy and water conservation standards, Mr. Speaker, save consumers money. The only reason that we have these energy-efficient standards both for showerheads and for so many other things is that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, decided to establish a program where if the Department of Energy or other Departments, mostly the Department of Energy, could show that, in fact, you could save money for consumers and eliminate a lot of waste in terms of water and energy, then they would put forth these standards. These are bipartisan standards.

In 2024 alone, energy and water conservation standards slashed $576 off Americans' utility bills while cutting our energy and water consumption.

I am just trying to point out, Mr. Speaker, that Republican priorities are completely out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. They are out of touch with the manufacturers and out of touch with the average American.

The only Republican priority is pleasing President Trump with whatever he wants. They give in to his every wish, even if it means driving up utility bills for American families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PALLONE. Castor), the ranking member of our Energy Subcommittee.

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Mr. PALLONE. Frankel).

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, my, my, my. I rise today, amazed that with the healthcare crisis unfolding, the Republican priority before us is plumbing.

At a time when families are already being squeezed by the rising cost of living, from groceries to rent to utilities, President Trump is focused on renaming the Kennedy Center, building a ballroom, running a foreign country, and the water pressure in his showers.

Republicans in Congress, instead of focusing on lowering healthcare costs, are debating the definition of showerheads. Really? Millions of Americans are losing their healthcare coverage after Republicans allowed the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire.

The nightmare of families having to choose between taking their child to the doctor or paying their rent is now a reality, hitting my home State of Florida especially hard. In Florida, more than 4 million people rely on the ACA and face premiums that are doubling or tripling.

A self-employed mom recovering from cancer in Lake Worth Beach is dropping her coverage as her premium tripled overnight. A 62-year-old waiter in West Palm Beach is going without insurance because it now costs more than his rent.

Here is a fact. When people lose health insurance, the consequences are real, and they are devastating. Medical debt piles up. Families drain their savings. They face bankruptcy.

Untreated illnesses force workers out of their jobs. When people lose their coverage, it affects all of us. Hospitals are strained. Businesses are hurt. Costs rise for everyone.

Here is a solution. I urge my colleagues to support the 3-year extension of the ACA tax credits and stop millions of hardworking families from losing their coverage. Fix the pressure where it matters the most. Lower healthcare costs.

Mr. RILEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, my kids are little. The other day they asked why daddy has to go back to D.C. I said that it is for work. They seemed sad about that. My wife chimed in, and she said that it is really important work. It is work that is going to help make people's lives better.

Now here we are, back at work. The first thing on the agenda in 2026 is not to lower the soaring utility bills. It is not to lower the insurance premiums. It is not to make housing more affordable. It is showerheads. We are out here talking about showerheads.

Not a single person in upstate New York has ever told me they want Congress focused on showerheads. The owner of the tattoo shop in Ithaca told me she will go uninsured this year because she can't afford the premiums.

There is a grandma in Endicott who is cutting back on the groceries because NYSEG is jacking up the rates and sending all her money to Spain.

There is a couple in their twenties. They are both young nurses. They can't save up for a home because Wall Street is gobbling up all the inventory.

Here we are, talking about showerheads. We wonder why people look at this place and see it as a self-serving, out of touch, dysfunctional mess. We don't need new ballrooms. We don't need new showerheads. We don't need a new name for the Kennedy Center. We need lower costs, better jobs, and a square deal.

At the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules had allowed it, I would have offered a motion with an amendment to lower costs for hardworking families in upstate New York.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York?

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Mr. PALLONE. I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have to respond to the chairman of our committee who, of course, I respect a great deal.

The Republicans have never supported the Affordable Care Act. When we passed it--and I was one of the drafters how many years ago now--I think there were none--certainly almost no Republican votes.

They were not there when we tried to expand tax credits because we knew that in order for people to be able to afford their health insurance, we would have to reauthorize the tax credits from time to time or expand them for certain incomes. They were never there.

Frankly, I don't want to go into this in any great deal or depth today, but the bottom line is that I and most Democrats believe that healthcare is a basic right and that we, as a Congress, have a responsibility to make it so that most people, if not all Americans, can have health insurance because, otherwise, they can't see a doctor. They end up in the emergency room. They get sicker, and our society suffers for it, either financially, healthwise, or whatever.

I don't really want to get into this debate about who, when, and where because the bottom line is that the Republican Party has never supported any of this. Many of them don't even believe, I think, that somehow we should be helping Americans pay for their health insurance. In any case, they have never supported the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare. They have never supported the enhanced premium tax credits, and so talking about when you did it or didn't do it, to me, is irrelevant.

The bottom line is that the majority had the opportunity to extend it during the reconciliation bill. My colleagues did not. Republicans had the opportunity right through the end of this year to extend it before it expired, and all these double and triple costs per month for health insurance started on January 1. My Republican colleagues didn't do it and are not doing it now.

We had the debate just a half hour or 1 hour ago about the bill that is finally coming to the floor, not because of the Republicans but because every Democrat in this House signed a discharge petition and we got a handful of Republicans to sign the discharge petition, overturning the right of the Speaker to determine what bills come to the floor. So it will come to the floor tomorrow, but when I was here for the debate on the rule, there was only one Republican who got up and said that they were supportive of extending the tax credits.

I am going to see tomorrow how many Republicans come to the floor and say that they are going to extend the tax credits or vote to extend the tax credits. There will be very, very few, unfortunately, because this is not what Republicans support.

In any case, I will talk a little bit about the affordability crisis in general. Across the country, the American people are trying to find ways to afford the rising prices of groceries, electricity, and their water bills. We hear from our constituents--I do every day--that affordability is their top concern. As democratically elected Members of Congress, I think it is our job to address these concerns--not only health insurance, but electricity costs, water costs, and so many things that deal with affordability.

I see my Republican colleagues only seem to be interested in fighting the Trump administration's latest culture war on showerheads.

Mr. Speaker, I have tried not to laugh about this because I think the issue has a level of seriousness, but it is incredible that not only are they bringing up this bill as their first bill of the new year, but the fact is that the bill does nothing to help the American people.

If the majority was doing something with showerhead bills to bring down costs, I would say ``fine,'' but that is not the case. This is only being done because President Trump has been complaining about efficiency standards for everything since his first term. I think he is completely out of touch with the realities that everyday Americans face.

The truth is simple that efficiency standards lower costs for Americans. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: In 2024 alone, energy and water conservation standards slashed $576 off of American utility bills while cutting our energy and water consumption. Why is that a bad thing? It is a good thing.

It is totally, in my opinion, kind of dishonest for Republicans to claim that the cost of compliance with environmental regulations and efficiency standards drive up prices. They do not. It is not conservation that is driving up prices for Americans. It is Republican policies, and I would particularly point to Trump's tariffs that are driving up costs for the average American.

The Republican Party let the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credit expire without any safety net, so millions of Americans are going to lose their health insurance. Some have already decided not to sign up because they can't afford it. They are going to lose their health insurance. We will have more tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Until we pass this enhanced tax credit bill, more and more Americans will have no health insurance and the negative consequences from that.

Let's also talk about the big, ugly bill--Republicans call it the big, beautiful bill--that is projected to increase electricity prices for American families by 61 percent. Nearly 1 in 20 American households are in severe utility debt. This winter, families are forced to make the impossible choice of heating their homes or putting food on the table.

We have to address this issue, but somehow that is not enough for my Republican colleagues. They now are trying to pass partisan legislation to increase utility bills, too. That is what this bill does.

Again, all I can say is that the Republican Party's priorities are senseless, cruel, and misguided.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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