Refrigerator Freedom Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7637. It is a Republican bill that is going to raise costs for hardworking American families. It is very emblematic of what they call this unfortunate session of Congress, the do-nothing Congress, the least productive Congress in modern times.
Like the dishwasher bill we debated before the refrigerator bill, Republicans seek to throw a wrench into the cost savings for American families. In doing so, they are not siding with the people, with the folks we represent back home, but siding with corporate special interests, the big utility companies, and the big oil companies because they make more money when you use more energy, when your refrigerator isn't as efficient, when your air-conditioner isn't as efficient.
Part of the focus of Democrats in the last Congress was putting money back into your pocket to provide new incentives for cost-saving, energy efficient upgrades to homes, more insulation for homes.
I used my time in the last debate for a public service announcement. If you go to energy.gov/save, there is a whole host of ways to put money back into your pockets at a time when you need it.
We are about 2 years from passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and I know a lot of folks said that they are still getting pinched by the affordability crisis, but that is the historic bill passed by a Democratic-led Congress and signed by President Biden that finally put a cap on insulin at $35 per month. It was the first time that we beat Big Pharma by directing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. It puts a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses for seniors who rely on prescription drugs.
It also was the law that provided these important cost savings to American families for energy efficient appliances. I know that Big Oil and the utility companies don't like it, and I know that the Republicans are closely aligned with them, but this is very important in this day and age when we have to use cleaner, cheaper appliances and cut pollution.
American families want these innovative, efficient appliances for one reason. They save money.
Take the refrigerator. Compared to refrigerators of the 1970s when the first efficiency standards were proposed, refrigerators today are cheaper. They are cheaper upfront, and they do a better job of keeping our groceries cold. Critically, they use about 75 percent less energy, and they save American families hundreds of dollars a year on their electricity bills.
This is all thanks to industry innovation that was spurred by direction of Congress to appliance manufacturers to do better over time. In fact, when the Department of Energy announced at the end of last year the updated standards for our refrigerators and freezers, they said the efficiency standards being adopted today have not been updated in over a decade.
They align with the recommendations from a diverse set of stakeholders, including manufacturers, the manufacturer trade association, environmental groups, energy groups, and consumer advocates. Compliance will be required by 2029 or 2030, depending on the year, make, and model.
DOE and the Biden administration have been laser focused in developing these strong energy efficiency standards to build on the historical success and capture even more cost savings for American families who need it right now.
As has been discussed by Ranking Member Pallone, the Department of Energy works very closely with manufacturers. They develop a consensus during this rulemaking process on what is technically feasible and what can help save folks money. They actually estimate that these new standards will save Americans over a trillion dollars on household energy bills over the next 30 years.
Americans deserve a Congress that is going to stand up for them and their cost savings and serve the people, not serve the bottom line of electricity companies and Big Oil and Gas companies.
This is quite a contrast. They call it the do-nothing Congress. It started out in a session where they decided the Speaker of the House should not continue to serve. There were shutdowns and showdowns here where they doubled down on some very extremist policies.
This is such a stark contrast to when Democrats controlled the House of Representatives. We didn't squander time debating dishwashers and refrigerators.
We passed the historic PACT Act to make sure that veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances would get the care and the benefits they earned. The historic PACT Act was passed by Democrats and signed by President Biden.
We passed a historic infrastructure law that is repairing our roads and bridges, delivering clean and safe water to communities across the country, cleaning up pollution, and expanding access to high-speed internet.
Two weeks ago, I was able to announce a $25 million grant for a neighborhood in the city of Tampa that has not gotten the investment it has deserved for decades. Thanks to the infrastructure law, we are going to make ADA-compliant sidewalks, make the streets----
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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for the additional time.
That neighborhood needs this investment. Have we debated any way to help the neighborhoods during this Republican-led Congress? No, we haven't.
Today, we are able to announce a $24 million grant for my local transit agency back in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County that is going to upgrade their buses, expand service, and create workforce development initiatives to train people who are interested in these good-paying jobs.
The Democratic-led Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in a country now where death by firearm is the leading cause of death for children aged 0-18.
We also passed the historic Inflation Reduction Act, the historic law that, yes, capped the price of insulin at $35 if you are on Medicare and finally directed Medicare to negotiate drug prices, standing up to Big Pharma for a change.
It is estimated that over 106,000 of my neighbors will save over $500 if they rely on the Affordable Care Act for their health insurance. That was also a part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
I wanted to call out the contrasts of refrigerators and dishwashers, squandering time, and wasting time with my colleagues who are really here for the people, to fight for lower costs, and to put money back into our families.
I think Mr. Goldman had it right when he said it is time for this House to get serious. Instead of refrigerator freedom, how about the freedom for women to make their own healthcare decisions rather than our bodies being controlled by politicians here in Washington, D.C., or back home? These are decisions that should be between a woman, her doctor, and her family.
Refrigerator freedom? How about we get back to working on reproductive freedom, lowering costs for families, working on safer communities, good-paying jobs, and delivering for people rather than the special interests that have all too much influence here in Washington, D.C. Please vote ``no'' on this bill.
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