This week, the Senate voted to undo two Energy Department rules for appliances finalized during the Biden administration, sending the bills to President Donald Trump to sign into law.

Senators voted 52 to 46 on Wednesday to overturn a rule that required appliances to meet specific standards to receive the energy-efficient label. The standards apply to various consumer products, including dishwashers, heat pumps, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners. The House voted in March to undo the regulation. 

Recommended Stories

• House GOP votes to end protections for small fish at heart of Trump-Newsom feud
• House votes to ax California plan to ban gas cars
• House Republicans vote to slash California vehicle emission standards

Along with the energy efficiency standards, the Senate voted on Thursday, 52-45, to overturn the Energy Department’s regulation that sets more stringent standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers under its Energy Conservation Program. It aims to reduce energy consumption and emissions. Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) brought the bill to the floor.

“Our bill repeals burdensome and costly Biden administration regulations on commercial refrigeration equipment that would drive up prices on consumer goods,” Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), who sponsored the bill in the House, said in a statement.

“Americans want commonsense policies and freedom from government overreach instead of far-left policies that increase the cost of living. I’m proud to be delivering results that support small business and hardworking Americans,” Goldman added.

In 2023, industry groups reached an agreement with the Energy Department on standards for refrigerators and freezers, which the department adopted as the final rule. Republicans argued that the standards do not consider the effect on consumer costs.

The House also voted last month to reverse the rule, but supporters of the regulation argued that the reversal would cost businesses money. 

“It’s small businesses that would pay the price of installing outdated technology. Canceling the standards would lock in needless energy waste for years to come, using up electric grid capacity that’s urgently needed for our growing economy,” Andrew DeLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standard Awareness Project, who supports the Energy Department rules, said in March.

SENATE VOTES TO END ENERGY DEPARTMENT STANDARDS FOR GAS WATER HEATERS

Lawmakers passed the two resolutions through the Congressional Review Act, which allows them to bypass the filibuster and take a simple majority vote in both chambers to cancel regulations. Republicans have used the CRA to undo the Biden administration’s energy policies.

Republicans have argued that energy-related appliance regulations raise consumer costs and limit consumer choice. Both bills will now be sent to Trump’s office for his signature. The president has so far signed two energy-related CRAs.