The U.S. House of Representatives passed Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles’ (R-TN-05) Liberty in Laundry Act on Tuesday by a 215-200 vote.
Ogles’ bill, filed as H.R. 7673, prohibits the U.S. Department of Energy secretary from prescribing or enforcing energy conservation standards for clothes washers that are not cost-effective or technologically feasible.
After being introduced in March, the bill passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a 22-19 vote and was recommended for passage by the full House.
On Tuesday, 200 Democrats voted against Ogles’ bill while only six Democrats joined the majority in voting in favor of the legislation.
“I have spent much of my time in Congress fighting back the federal government’s vast overreach into the lives of hardworking Americans,” Ogles said in a statement following the passage of his bill.
“Americans should be able to do their laundry in peace without the input of Big Brother,” Ogles added.
Ogles’ bill was filed in response to the Department of Energy’s announcement earlier this year of its proposed updated standards for new washing machines and clothes dryers.
The Department of Energy cited its authority to impose such standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), which was created by Congress in 1975 to “increase American energy production, encourage efficient energy use, reduce demand, and bolster national energy security.”
Under the EPCA, the Department of Energy is authorized to set efficiency standards for 60 product categories – only if the new standards are “cost-effective, significantly save energy, and be technologically feasible.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA-01), who supported Ogles’ bill, said the Biden administration has “consistently abused their authority” under the EPCA to “push a radical energy agenda on American families and consumers, attempting to implement conservation standards that aren’t economically justifiable or significantly more energy efficient.”
Scalise said the Department of Energy’s new energy standards would “take away consumer choice and burden American families struggling to get by, raising costs and forcing Americans to use appliances that do not perform as well.”
In addition, Scalise said the new energy standards are part of the Biden administration’s agenda to “shut down the use of natural gas and force electric appliances on the American people, regardless of cost, performance, or availability.”
“Let’s be clear: President Biden and Washington bureaucrats’ war on everyday household appliances only hurts American families and small businesses. You should be able to decide what washing machine is best for you and your family – not be forced to let the government decide for you,” Scalise added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Rep Andy Ogles” by Rep. Andy Ogles.
HOPEFULLY, TRUMP WILL ABOLISH THE DOE
Well there’s a shock – dems like dirty laundry.
He should have submitted a bill to shut down the unconstitutional DOE. They always skirt around the real problem passing silly bills like this.
The Constitution expressly PROHIBITS the federal government from doing such things (see Amendment 9).
And our Congress now makes laws prohibiting them from violating the “supreme law of the land”?
And why should they pay any attention to THAT?