Republicans Suddenly Cancel Multiple Bills

Republicans in the House of Representatives reportedly canceled a number of planned bill hearings to instead focus on a response to Iran’s attack on Israel.

It was announced last week that Republicans were proposing six bills related to rules around household appliances on April 15, following new regulations introduced by President Joe Biden’s administration.

The bills, called the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, the Liberty in Laundry Act, the Affordable Air Conditioning Act, the Clothes Dryer Reliability Act, the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act and the Refrigerator Freedom Act, seek to prohibit the secretary of energy from enforcing energy-conservation standards on various household appliances where it is not cost-effective or it doesn’t make sense technologically.

While they are still listed on the House of Representative’s website, according to Fox News’ Chad Pergram, the House is canceling them to instead put 17 bills on the floor to show support for Israel in response to Iran’s attack. It isn’t clear if the household appliance bills will be heard at a later point.

Pergram reported that one bill will ratchet up sanctions on Iran and another will condemn the country for drone attacks over the weekend that Iran launched after an Israeli strike killed two Iranian generals earlier this month. Iran called the attack self-defense, but in a statement Biden condemned the aggression and reaffirmed the U.S.’s support of Israel.

Bills on Congress’ website focusing on Iran include a three-page resolution by New Jersey Representative Tom Kean that declares that the House “stands with Israel” and affirms its “right to respond to this aggression through military, diplomatic, economic, and other necessary means.”

Newsweek contacted the Republican party via email to comment on this story.

Iran’s attack came amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which started after Hamas launched a surprise attack killing 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel subsequently launched an operation to target Hamas in Gaza, killing over 30,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

In a statement to Axios, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the bills “demonstrate our support of Israel and take action against Iran.”

He added that they were “a comprehensive response to the Iranian threat by supporting Israel’s response to the attack and sanctioning Iran’s leaders, cutting off their revenue sources, and targeting their partners and terrorist proxies.”

During his administration, Biden has passed a number of laws to prioritize reducing the effects of climate change—including the Inflation Reduction Act, which designates $369 billion toward the country’s green-energy transition. He has also established stricter regulations for gas stoves and dishwashers and introduced proposals to make ceiling fans more energy efficient.

In December 2022, the White House released a statement saying it had taken action against 110 household appliances to help cut emissions.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in September 2023: “At the direction of Congress, DOE is continuing to review and finalize energy standards for household appliances, such as residential furnaces, to lower costs for working families by reducing energy use and slashing harmful pollutants in homes across the nation.”

In January, a push by the Biden administration to make dishwashers and washing machines more efficient was dismissed by a judge as “arbitrary and capricious,” after 11 Republican-run states brought legal action over the rule changes.