Pallone Blasts Republicans for Raising Americans' Energy Bills Over Politicized Anti-Energy Efficiency Crusade

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks at today's Energy Subcommittee hearing titled, "Building the American Dream: Examining Affordability, Choice, and Security in Appliance and Buildings Policies:"

Today’s hearing continues Republicans’ illogical plan to increase monthly energy bills for American families, who are already struggling to make ends meet as prices on everyday goods increase thanks to Trump’s trade war. The latest jobs report – the worst since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – proves just how devastating Republican policies are. In August, job growth came to a crawl, adding just 22,000 jobs.

At a time when home energy bills are rising all over the country, in large part thanks to the disastrous and malicious policies of the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans, House Republicans have chosen to double down on their attacks on the very tools we have to keep energy bills low.

In my home state of New Jersey, energy prices have already increased thanks to PJM’s inability to add new resources to the grid. These increases, coupled with the devastating project financing cuts from the Trump Administration, hurt New Jersey families. And now, House Republicans seem to have decided that rather than helping everyday families with monthly energy bills, they want to make our homes more expensive to heat and cool.

Today, we are likely to hear Republicans misrepresent the facts around energy efficiency, conservation standards, and building codes. Let me set the record straight about some of this misinformation.

Committee Republicans continue to circulate a factually inaccurate claim about the costs of meeting the 2021 international energy code. Their bogus number is the result of double counting and including measures not required by the code. In reality, building energy codes have a negligible impact on housing prices, but they save homeowners real money on their monthly energy bill from the moment they move into the home.

Republicans will also suggest that energy efficiency standards disproportionately target natural gas products, but in reality, the law prohibits DOE from eliminating products based on their fuel source.

This is all incredibly important in a time of rising energy prices, increased energy demand on the grid, and slowed job growth. Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill is projected to raise electricity prices by an astonishing 61 percent over the next decade, costing Americans nearly $300 more each year. Trump ran on a promise to cut energy costs in half in his first year, but Republicans jammed through this disastrous bill that provides giant tax breaks for their billionaire friends, while sending Americans’ utility bills through the roof.

Energy efficiency standards are popular. In 2024, American households saved over $500 on their energy bills thanks to industry-supported appliance standards. And in 2023, energy efficiency jobs employed almost 2.3 million people.

But I’m not surprised that we’re here debating all of this again. Energy efficiency used to be a bipartisan topic, but over the last few years, Republicans have politicized and polarized these commonsense policies.

Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration spent the first eight months of the year gutting the Department of Energy, targeting efficiency standards through numerous Congressional Review Act resolutions, gutting clean energy incentives, keeping expensive fossil fuel plants online, and imposing costly tariffs that are supercharging inflation. These actions directly result in rising costs for Americans. Republicans don’t care about lowering costs, all they care about is rewarding their oil and gas friends, punishing clean energy, and keeping President Trump happy.

It doesn’t matter what the facts are. If Trump doesn’t like his shower head, Congressional Republicans will prioritize his needs over the needs of everyday Americans.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today. I hope we’re able to have a productive conversation centered around facts and the merits of energy efficiency. I yield back the balance of my time.

###