Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of February 24, 2025
Washington,
February 27, 2025
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Outlining One Big, Beautiful Bill to Pass President Trump’s Agenda and Deliver for Americans ✅ In the reconciliation process, the budget resolution acts as a blueprint that lays the foundation for the reconciliation bill. This week, House Republicans passed a budget resolution to pave the way for passage of one comprehensive bill that delivers on President Trump's America First agenda. The House budget resolution provides the foundation for Congress to deliver on the mandate the American people gave us and President Trump to secure the border, unleash American energy, prevent the largest tax hike in American history, advance pro-growth economic policies, and bring common sense to Washington rules and regulations. As we have already seen through the diligence of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), for too long the federal government has been hard at work finding new, ridiculous ways to spend American taxpayer dollars – our bill ends that by calling for $1.5 trillion in mandatory savings. This is a major step to reduce spending, lower inflation for families struggling across the country, and put our country on a fiscally responsible path. The budget resolution provides a framework to cut burdensome regulations, government waste, and taxes for hardworking Americans. Additionally, the resolution ensures that President Trump has the resources he needs to secure our border and keep America safe by calling for $300 billion for border security and defense. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington’s legislation, H. Con. Res. 14, establishes a congressional budget for the U.S. Government that delivers for Americans by cutting waste and government spending, reducing burdensome regulations, providing tax cuts that support families and small businesses, supporting domestic energy production and security, and securing the border. “One small step for our Republican Conference, one big leap for the American people. President Trump asked for a comprehensive bill to implement the FULL America First agenda, and that's exactly what Republicans in the House of Representatives delivered. This budget resolution provides the fiscal framework for what will be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in modern history and the principal legislative vehicle for President Trump’s America First agenda. House Republicans are doing their job to cut taxes for hardworking families and small businesses, support our law enforcement at the border, bolster our military, unleash American energy dominance, and right-size our wasteful, oversized bureaucracy,” said Chairman Jodey Arrington. What Members Said: “Clearly, if you read this bill, this bill is not about millionaires and billionaires. This bill is about whether or not you're going to stand up for the middle class of America, who will be devastated, devastated if this bill fails,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise. “If you read the bill, you would talk about what this does to engage 11 different committees in this Congress, 11 committees, to start a process called budget reconciliation, where they will go into open hearings on C-Span. Everybody in America can watch the deliberations where there will be a discussion about how to get this country back on track, which the people of this nation are hungering for – not people yelling and screaming and telling lies and trying to scare people with false information. We are here to talk facts, and the facts are a no vote, a no vote, imposes four and a half trillion in taxes that primarily hit middle and low-income families, not the millionaires and billionaires.”
“Let's be clear: a vote against this budget is a vote to raise taxes on low income Americans. $2.6 trillion of the tax cuts and this are people making less than $400,000 a year. You campaigned on not allowing taxes to increase on people making less than $400,000 a year – let's see if your voting card shows up,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith. “Extending the Trump tax cuts will give the lowest income families a tax cut of 15 percent, the highest of any income group. On the other hand, failing to extend these tax cuts means the average taxpayer will see a 22 percent tax hike. The average family of four making $80,000 a year will see their taxes go up almost $1,700 – that's two months worth of groceries.” President Donald Trump celebrated the passage of H. Con. Res. 14 as a big win for America.
 Rep. Julie Fedorchak highlighted that the House budget resolution paves the way for President Trump's America First policies that will secure our border, unleash American energy, provide tax relief, and cut wasteful spending.  Cutting Burdensome Regulations on American Energy and Lowering Costs ✅ Through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats in Congress amended the Clean Air Act to create a ‘Methane Emissions Reduction Program.’ The program directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect a Waste Emissions Charge (WEC) on waste emissions of methane from some oil and gas facilities. Under this direction, the Biden Administration EPA issued a rulemaking called “Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems,” that imposes a significant fee on methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities that emit methane exceeding a certain threshold. The fee is a pass-through cost to consumers, raising prices for hardworking Americans and burdening taxpayers while doing little to actually help the environment. Families are already paying too much at the gas pump, the grocery store, in their utility bills, and everywhere else – we can’t raise energy costs even more with overreaching and burdensome Washington regulations. Additionally, the WEC would result in the reduction of domestic energy production and increase America's reliance on foreign energy – the exact opposite of what we need to be doing to counter the Biden Administration’s lingering energy crisis. Depending on foreign nations for energy threatens our national security. We need to be unleashing domestic energy production, not suffocating it. House Republicans passed legislation to get rid of the WEC, reduce energy costs, and support President Trump’s pro-American energy agenda. Rep. August Pfluger’s legislation, H.J. Res. 35, disapproves the Biden Environmental Protection Agency’s “Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems,” rule that imposes a significant fee (WEC) on methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities that exceed specific levels, preventing the rule from raising costs for consumers, reducing domestic energy production, and increasing reliance on foreign energy sources. “In November, the American people overwhelmingly voted for lower energy prices, and today, House Republicans took another step towards fulfilling that mandate. In the latest effort to reverse Biden's disastrous energy policies, the House passed my bill to nullify the EPA’s rule implementing the ill-conceived natural gas tax. This tax raises costs on production, discourages investment, and increases energy prices across America. I am looking forward to working toward a full repeal of the underlying statute and continuing to implement President Trump’s pro-energy agenda,” said Rep. August Pfluger. What Members Said: “The Biden Administration had an all out war on fossil fuel. On their way out the door, the previous administration finalized this burdensome rule to effectively collect taxes on methane emissions released from oil and gas facilities and funnel that money to their radical climate allies,” said Rep. Rick Allen. “What my Democrat colleagues won't tell you is that our clean natural gas is a major reason why the U.S. has become a world leader in reducing carbon emissions. In partnership with President Trump, House Republicans are reinstating common sense in Washington. To lower costs for American families, we must unleash our energy capabilities and utilize the reliable natural gas right under our feet – not impose these outlandish taxes on domestic producers.”
Rep. Jen Kiggans emphasized that House Republicans are working every day to unleash American energy through an all-of-the-above energy strategy.
 Protecting Consumer Choice in Water Heaters from Biden War on Home Appliances ✅ In 1975, Congress established the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to increase American energy production, encourage efficient energy use, and bolster national energy security. Under the EPCA, the Department of Energy (DOE) sets efficiency standards for 60 product categories – but these standards must be cost-effective, significantly save energy, and be technologically feasible. Unfortunately, President Biden’s DOE consistently abused their authority to push a radical energy agenda on American families and consumers, attempting to implement conservation standards that are neither economically justifiable nor significantly more energy efficient. In December 2024, the Biden DOE published a final rule, “Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters,” that effectively bans certain natural gas water heaters from the market, placing financial burdens on consumers, particularly seniors and low-income households, and threatening consumer choice. The Biden DOE’s proposed standards aimed to shut down the use of natural gas and force electric appliances on the American people, regardless of cost, performance, or availability – putting their radical Green New Deal agenda before the needs of hardworking Americans. House Republicans are working to protect consumer choice from the burdensome rules issued under the Biden Administration and keep government agencies out of your home. Americans should be able to choose the water heater that best suits their needs – not have one forced on them by the government. H.J. Res. 20, introduced by Rep. Gary Palmer, expresses congressional disapproval of the Biden Department of Energy’s “Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters,” rule that effectively bans certain natural gas water heaters from the market, burdening consumers and threatening their choice. “I applaud my House colleagues in passing my Congressional Review Act to reverse the previous administration’s egregious attempt to ban gas-fired water heaters. This is a major step towards prioritizing consumer choice, protecting natural gas appliances, keeping prices affordable, and undoing the damage inflicted on the American people by the Biden-Harris Administration for the past four years,” said Rep. Gary Palmer. What Members Said: “This unnecessary regulation is yet another example of the Left pushing a radical Green New Deal agenda at the expense of American families. This rule would drive up costs, limit consumer choice, and hurt American families and small businesses. It’s the same heavy handed approach we saw time and again from the previous administration, forcing Americans to buy expensive, inefficient alternatives, instead of letting them decide what works best for their homes and their businesses. The DOE has no business dictating what kind of water heater Americans can use, and that's why I strongly support H.J. Res 20, introduced by my colleague, Congressman Gary Palmer,” said Rep. Ben Cline. “This resolution sends a clear message: Washington bureaucrats do not get to make these choices for the American people. House Republicans will continue fighting to protect consumer freedom and keep government overreach out of our homes.”
Rep. Ashley Hinson underscored that H.J. Res. 20 overturns Biden's ridiculous gas water heater ban and stops the government from choosing your water heater, noting that half of the water heaters on the market will not meet the new standards in 2029, significantly raising costs for consumers.
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