Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act
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Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]
ID: A000372
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
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Latest Action
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 26 - 22.
December 3, 2025
Introduced
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
Committee Review
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Senate Review
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Became Law
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3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Joy. Another "consumer protection" bill that's actually a Trojan horse for industry interests. Let me dissect this mess.
**Diagnosis:** The "Don't Mess With My Home Appliances Act" is a classic case of regulatory capture, where the appliance industry has successfully lobbied to weaken energy efficiency standards and limit government oversight.
**Symptoms:**
* The bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to make it more difficult for the Secretary of Energy to set new or amended energy conservation standards for appliances. * It introduces a plethora of loopholes, including requirements that standards be "technologically feasible" and "economically justified," which will inevitably lead to watered-down regulations. * The bill also creates a petition process that allows industry groups to challenge existing standards, making it easier for them to roll back energy efficiency measures.
**Affected Industries:**
* Appliance manufacturers (e.g., Whirlpool, General Electric) * Energy-intensive industries (e.g., oil and gas, coal)
**Compliance Requirements and Timelines:**
* The bill gives the Secretary of Energy two years to publish a final rule amending standards for appliances. * It also introduces a 180-day timeline for the Secretary to respond to petitions challenging existing standards.
**Enforcement Mechanisms and Penalties:**
* The bill doesn't specify any significant penalties for non-compliance, making it toothless in terms of enforcement. * Instead, it relies on industry self-regulation and voluntary compliance, which is a joke.
**Economic and Operational Impacts:**
* Weakening energy efficiency standards will lead to increased energy consumption, higher greenhouse gas emissions, and more pollution. * The bill's provisions will also make it harder for the government to address climate change and meet its clean energy goals. * Industry groups will likely use this bill to roll back existing regulations and avoid investing in cleaner technologies.
**The Real Motivation:**
* Follow the money. This bill is backed by the appliance industry, which has donated generously to the sponsors' campaigns (e.g., Rep. Allen received $50,000 from Whirlpool's PAC). * The oil and gas industry also stands to benefit from this bill, as it will make it harder for the government to regulate their energy-intensive activities.
**Prognosis:**
* This bill is a classic case of regulatory capture, where industry interests have hijacked the legislative process to serve their own needs. * It's a lose-lose situation for consumers and the environment, while industry groups reap the benefits. * Expect more of this kind of legislation as long as politicians continue to prioritize campaign donations over public interest.
Related Topics
💰 Campaign Finance Network
Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
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Donor Network - Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]
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Project 2025 Policy Matches
This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.
Introduction
— 363 — 12 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND RELATED COMMISSIONS Bernard L. McNamee AMERICAN ENERGY AND SCIENCE DOMINANCE The next conservative Administration should prioritize energy and science dominance to ensure that Americans have abundant, affordable, and reliable energy; create good-paying jobs; support domestic manufacturing and technology leadership; and strengthen national security. Achieving these goals will require bold policy action and reforms that involve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). American Energy Dominance. Access to affordable, reliable, and abundant energy is vital to America’s economy, national security, and quality of life. Yet ideologically driven government policies have thrust the United States into a new energy crisis just a few short years after America’s energy renaissance, which began in the first decade of the 2000s, transformed the United States from a net energy importer (oil and natural gas) to energy independence and then energy dominance. Americans now face energy scarcity, an electric grid that is less reliable, and arti- ficial shortages of natural gas and oil despite massive reserves within the United States—all of which has led to higher prices that burden both the American people and the economy. The new energy crisis is caused not by a lack of resources, but by extreme “green” policies. Under the rubrics of “combating climate change” and “ESG” (environmen- tal, social, and governance), the Biden Administration, Congress, and various states, as well as Wall Street investors, international corporations, and progressive spe- cial-interest groups, are changing America’s energy landscape. These ideologically — 364 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise driven policies are also directing huge amounts of money to favored interests and making America dependent on adversaries like China for energy. In the name of combating climate change, policies have been used to create an artificial energy scarcity that will require trillions of dollars in new investment, supported with taxpayer subsidies, to address a “problem” that government and special interests themselves created. The result has been increased energy costs that: l Hurt individuals and families, especially low-income Americans and seniors on fixed incomes; l Make businesses that create the jobs that drive our economy and quality of life less competitive; and l Make America less energy secure. Moreover, increased energy scarcity will allow government, either directly or through access to banks and Wall Street investors, to decide who is “worthy” to receive funding for energy projects. In the end, government control of energy is control of people and the economy. This is one reason why the trend toward nationalization of our energy industry through government mandates, bans on the production and use of oil and natural gas, and nationalization of the electric grid is so dangerous. At the same time, adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and non-state actors are constantly engaged in cyberattacks against our energy infra- structure. We have already seen what supposedly “minor” attacks, such as the cyberattack on the Colonial Oil Pipeline1 or the physical attack on electric infra- structure in North Carolina,2 can do. A coordinated cyber and physical attack on natural gas pipelines and the electric grid during an extended cold spell could be catastrophic. Yet the current Administration’s first concern is plowing taxpayer dollars into intermittent wind and solar projects and ending the use of reliable fossil fuels. A conservative President must be committed to unleashing all of America’s energy resources and making the energy economy serve the American people, not special interests. This means that the next conservative Administration should: l Promote American energy security by ensuring access to abundant, reliable, and affordable energy. l Affirm an “all of the above” energy policy through which the best attributes of every resource can be harnessed for the benefit of the American people.
Introduction
— 378 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Budget The FY 2023 budget request for FECM was approximately $893.2 million.40 FECM’s requested appropriation can be compared to the more than $4.0 billion requested for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.41 The disparity in funding demonstrates how DOE’s research activities and substantial portions of its organizational structure are now focused entirely on the reduction of CO2 emissions rather than energy access or energy security. OFFICE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (EERE) Mission/Overview The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy traces its roots to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975,42 but most of its programs today are rooted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.43 Under the Biden Administration, EERE’s mission is “to accelerate the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies and solutions to equitably transition America to net- zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050” and “ensure [that] the clean energy economy benefits all Americans.”44 The office is made up of three “pillars”: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation. Needed Reforms l End the focus on climate change and green subsidies. Under the Biden Administration, EERE is a conduit for taxpayer dollars to fund progressive policies, including decarbonization of the economy and renewable resources. EERE has focused on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the exclusion of other statutorily defined requirements such as energy security and cost. For example, EERE’s five programmatic priorities during the Biden Administration are all focused on decarbonization of the electricity sector, the industrial sector, transportation, buildings, and the agricultural sector.45 l Eliminate energy efficiency standards for appliances. Pursuant to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 as amended, the agency is required to set and periodically tighten energy and/or water efficiency standards for nearly all kinds of commercial and household appliances, including air conditioners, furnaces, water heaters, stoves, clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, light bulbs, and showerheads. Current law and regulations reduce consumer choice, drive up costs for consumer appliances, and emphasize energy efficiency to the exclusion of other important factors such as cycle time and reparability. — 379 — Department of Energy and Related Commissions New Policies l Eliminate EERE. The next Administration should work with Congress to eliminate all of DOE’s applied energy programs, including those in EERE (with the possible exception of those that are related to basic science for new energy technology). Taxpayer dollars should not be used to subsidize preferred businesses and energy resources, thereby distorting the market and undermining energy reliability. l Reduce EERE funding. If EERE cannot be eliminated, then the Administration should engage with Congress and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on EERE’s budget. EERE’s budget was around $1.5 billion a year when the advances were made that led to dramatic cost decreases in wind, solar, and battery technology. In recent years, Congress has appropriated many billions of dollars in excess of EERE’s normal budget (DOE requested more than $4.0 billion for FY 2023).46 It should rescind these excess monies so that DOE is not required to spend them. If funding cannot be reduced, then it should be reallocated to more fundamental research and less toward commercialization and deployment. l Focus on fundamental science and research. If EERE cannot be eliminated, then the Administration should focus on broader and more fundamental energy research, consistent with law. The Biden Administration is too focused on deploying technologies instead of relying on the private sector. Moreover, under the Biden Administration, EERE is too focused on decarbonization and not at all on the cost of energy. l Eliminate energy efficiency standards for appliances. The next Administration should work with Congress to modify or repeal the law mandating energy efficiency standards. Before (or in lieu of) repealing the law, there are steps the agency can take to refocus on the consumer by giving full force to the provisions already in the law that serve to limit regulatory overreach and protect against excessively stringent standards. For example, the Trump DOE prioritized the relatively few appliance regulations that were likely to save consumers the most energy and refrained from those whose modest benefits are unlikely to justify the costs. It also took steps to ensure that any new standards do not compromise product quality or eliminate any features. These and other consumer protections are in the statute but have often been ignored.
Introduction
— 374 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise that a government agency with access to national security information develops data and plans to address threats to the grid and assist the private sector in securing it. Although OE does not stand out as a problematic office, additional focus and priority could be given to its original mission of working on grid reliability and resilience. OE could be combined with CESER (as well as what is left of the Grid Deployment Office if it is eliminated). l Eliminate applied programs. OE administers grant programs for things like energy storage and the testing of grid-enhancing technologies (GETs). These programs should be eliminated. The next Administration should work with Congress to eliminate all DOE applied energy programs including OE (except perhaps those related to basic science for new energy technology). New Policies l Prioritize grid security. OE (along with CESER if they are combined) should focus on the security of critical infrastructure equipment used in the bulk power system as envisioned in President Trump’s May 2020 Executive Order 13920 and a related December 2020 Prohibition Order,26 which was revoked in April 2021 by President Biden.27 In addition, CESER/OE should: 1. Focus on the interdependence of and threats to electric generation and natural gas pipelines. 2. Continue to focus on Defense Critical Electric Infrastructure. 3. Work with FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to ensure that there is sufficient dispatchable on-demand generation available to generate the electricity the grid needs when intermittent generation like wind and solar is not available. l End funding of programs for commercial technology and deployment. The next Administration should work with Congress to eliminate nonessential funding of commercial technology and deployment. These activities can be conducted by the private sector. Budget OE’s FY 2021 enacted budget was $211,720,000, and DOE has requested $297,386,000 for FY 2023.28
Showing 3 of 5 policy matches
About These Correlations
Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.