Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7700. It is a bill that will saddle American families with higher costs. This is not a serious bill, but it is rather emblematic of the least protective Congress in modern times. Rather than focus on improving the lives of our neighbors back home and lowering costs, Republicans, as my colleague from New York said, went home for the Fourth of July recess and talked to their neighbors about what the Congress could do to improve their lives, and the first bill that they bring up on the floor is one to gut energy efficient dishwashers. Let's talk about energy efficiency because it is popular. Where does it come from? Years ago, the Congress acted in a bipartisan way and directed the Department of Energy to every few years update efficiency standards for the appliances that power our lives: our air- conditioners, dishwashers, refrigerators. American manufacturers have responded. Americans know this. Our appliances have gotten better and better over time. They save us money. They save us water. That is really important right now, that we can put a little bit more money back into our pockets. It is a win-win-win for us. I have already heard some misleading statements on the floor today, and I think we need to clear those up. When the Department of Energy creates new efficiency standards, whether it is for dishwashers or other appliances, it does so in collaboration with industry, with the support of industry and appliance manufacturers.…”