Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to celebrate the life and legacy of Gwendolyn Henderson-- educator, business owner, Tampa City Councilwoman, daughter of West Tampa, and champion of Black history.

The daughter of the late Asbury Henderson, a Korean War veteran, and the late Gladys Austin Henderson, Gwen was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, growing up in the working-class neighborhood of Carver City. She attended Roland Park Elementary, Morgan Woods Elementary, West Tampa Junior High School, and Pierce Junior High School. She later earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU), and a master's degree in education as well as education specialist's and higher education leadership degree from St. Leo University. She has also been a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority since 1994.

From Carver City to West Tampa, and then to Tampa Heights for 30 years, she was poised to serve as a well-grounded Member of Tampa City Council with a big heart for East Tampa neighbors especially. However, her true love and passion was education. Whether to her ``favorite daughter'' Ariel, or to the countless Hillsborough County students she was able to touch throughout her career as a teacher and mentor. Gwen started her educational career at Sligh Middle School but later transferred to Jefferson High School where she spent 25 years of her teaching career and embodied the Dragon Spirit--``Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon.''

Gwen put incredible effort into ensuring that her students had all the opportunities to grow available to them. She implemented efforts at Jefferson High School that helped showcase her students' academic achievements and talents such as the Mr. and Miss Jefferson Scholarship Pageant, the Naturally Aware Proud and Strong (NAPS) Girl Empowerment Organization where she led by example and empowered young girls to become leaders in their communities, and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Club, where she challenged students to consider other alternatives for higher learning and become more proud of their heritage and culture. Very shortly before passing, Gwen had launched a local, lively HBCU celebration to send-off Hillsborough County students on their way to Black colleges and universities.

After decades of being an educator, mentor, and inspiration to our young neighbors in Hillsborough County, Gwen was elected to the Tampa City Council in 2023 to represent District 5. In the City Council, Gwen continued to expand efforts she worked on as a community activist for decades.

Committed to restoring a Black-owned bookstore in the heart of Tampa, Gwen fulfilled a lifelong dream and founded the Black English Bookstore to curate reading options that represented the voice and culture of the Black community in Tampa and across all of America. Like a good book, Gwen brought comfort and community to neighbors across Tampa, while teaching us about ourselves, our culture, and our collective history. Her commitment to preserving and investing in Black-owned businesses was a pillar of her community advocacy. Her love for her hometown was evident in every action she took--from championing affordable housing and public safety to standing up for seniors and small businesses, and even supporting students and parents with free laptops when the COVID- 19 pandemic forced remote learning. Gwen fought for the hopes and dreams of her community, including continuing the advocacy of rebuilding and expansion of the Fair Oaks Recreation Center in East Tampa.

Gwendolyn died too soon in 2025--but her legacy lives on in all the hearts of the people she inspired throughout her life. Her life is a testimony of honoring Black history, Black culture, and Black lives. She is survived by her daughter Ariel Amirah Danley, her siblings, her nieces and nephews.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my Tampa Bay Area neighbors, I commend Gwendolyn Henderson for a life dedicated to public service, the preservation of Black history, and a love for the City of Tampa and its community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor the Andrews family and the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, the long running African American-led newspaper based in Tampa, known for its deep roots in the community and its role as a vital source of news, culture, and advocacy. The Sentinel Bulletin's founding, legacy, and enduring impact embody the very spirit of the Black press in America.

On December 1, 1945, Cyril Blythe Andrews resurrected the Florida Sentinel on historic Central Avenue in Tampa, Florida, at a time when African Americans were largely excluded from fair and accurate representation in the media. Years earlier, the original Florida Sentinel had been founded in 1919 by Gen. William W. Andrews but was later forced to close during the Great Depression. Following in his father's footsteps, C. Blythe Andrews understood that information was power and that an informed community is a community prepared to demand justice and opportunity.

A scholar, athlete, businessman, and community leader, Mr. Andrews built more than a newspaper. Through his leadership in business development, housing initiatives, and civic institutions, he expanded economic opportunity for Black families across Florida. Under his direction, the Sentinel printed its own editions, developed statewide distribution networks, and became a trusted voice for African Americans navigating segregation and systemic inequality.

In 1959, C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. expanded the publication, transforming it into the Florida Sentinel Bulletin and ushering in a new era of growth and modernization. A Boston University graduate with a master's degree in journalism, he strengthened the paper's editorial voice during the Civil Rights Era and the ongoing struggle for equal opportunity. Under his leadership, the Sentinel Bulletin installed modern printing presses, expanded circulation, and became one of the few Black owned newspapers in the Nation with full in house production capabilities. Beyond journalism, C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. served on numerous civic boards and advisory councils, ensuring that the concerns of Tampa's African American community were represented at every level. The Sentinel Bulletin was never simply a publication--it was a platform for advocacy, accountability, and advancement.

The history of the Florida Sentinel Bulletin would not be complete without acknowledging other remarkable individuals who contributed to its legacy. Mrs. Gwendolyn Hayes has devoted 57 years to the Sentinel Bulletin, beginning as a proofreader in 1968 and rising through roles as crime reporter, typesetter, city editor, and editor. Her dedication ensured that the Sentinel maintained its standard of excellence and trained future journalists in every facet of the business. Mrs. Betty Dawkins has served the paper for 49 years, beginning as a proofreader and ultimately becoming advertising director. Through her leadership, the Sentinel strengthened relationships with local businesses and maintained the economic foundation necessary to continue publishing. Her work exemplifies the behind the scenes commitment required to sustain a Black owned newspaper for decades.

The Florida Sentinel Bulletin has a unique and credible legacy that has been stewarded by generations of the Andrews family. Today, siblings C. Blythe ``Drew'' Andrews, III and Kay Andrews oversee the Sentinel Bulletin's continued service to the community. Beginning her work at the paper as a teenager, Ms. Andrews rose through the ranks to become publisher in 1996, ensuring that the Sentinel Bulletin remains responsive to the evolving needs of the community while honoring its historic mission.

This past December, the Florida Sentinel Bulletin celebrated its 80th anniversary. For eight decades, the Sentinel has chronicled the triumphs and trials of Tampa's African American community. It has informed voters, exposed injustice, celebrated achievement, and preserved stories that might otherwise have gone untold. During this Black History Month, we honor this institution as a living testament to truth, entrepreneurship, and the unyielding pursuit of equality.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Florida Sentinel Bulletin and the Andrews family for their founding vision, their generational leadership, and their immeasurable impact on Tampa Bay and the State of Florida. Its pages reflect not only history, but the heartbeat of a strong and vocal community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor a Tampa Bay native and visionary business leader, Candy Lowe Jones. As a champion of Black owned businesses and equitable economic opportunity, Candy Lowe has opened doors for connection, collaboration, and community empowerment across the Tampa Bay region.

Born in Tampa, Florida, Lowe attended C. Leon King High School and Erwin Technical College. For more than 30 years, she served honorably as a licensed nurse, providing compassionate and dedicated care to patients. Yet entrepreneurship had always been her passion. After her career in healthcare, she turned that passion into reality by opening a local tea shop in 2003--a welcoming gathering place that quickly became a hub for conversation, connection, and community. As a businesswoman, Lowe built lasting relationships with her customers, earning their trust and loyalty.

Business owners face many challenges, and Candy understands that engagement is essential to growth and long term success. In 2006, she founded the Black Business Bus Tour, an initiative designed to help Black owned businesses--from restaurants and boutiques to bookstores and beyond--grow and thrive. The tour was born from personal experience: Lowe knew the heartbreak of watching a business struggle, and she sought to honor the historical significance of Tampa's Central Avenue while uplifting a new generation of Black entrepreneurs.

Since its inception, the bus tour has saved businesses at risk of closing and fostered meaningful dialogue and networking among small businesses throughout Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg. Business owners and residents exchange ideas, share business cards, and build relationships that strengthen the local economy. Elected officials, faith leaders, and community advocates have joined these tours, demonstrating the barriers Candy's work has broken down. The tour has reached hundreds of businesses and thousands of riders, generating revenue at every stop and inspiring plans for expansion across Florida.

Lowe's work bridges economic opportunity with civic engagement. Alongside the bus tour, she launched ``Tea and Conversation,'' held every second and fourth Saturday, where community members and leaders gather to discuss the issues that matter most. Episodes are shared online, extending the conversation to an even wider audience. Candy is also a member of the NAACP, has served as a campaign manager and state representative for local elections in Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, and founded the Independent Black Chamber of Commerce--ensuring that all business owners have equitable access to opportunity and community.

Every dollar matters. Through her unwavering advocacy, Lowe has held corporations large and small accountable for their lack of meaningful diversity efforts. Her work has protected the pocketbooks of our neighbors and uplifted Black businesses and the broader Tampa Bay community. She understands that the greater good is built on the success of all.

Candy is grounded by the support of her husband, Daryll ``DJ'' Jones, her grandparents, and her two children, Katisha Butler and Kendredge McKinnon Jar. She carries with her the understanding that while seasons change, humility and patience remain steadfast guides.

Mr. Speaker, Candy Lowe is the embodiment of service and selflessness. She is a bridge builder whose work connects neighbors to businesses and transforms that connection into economic power. Her lifelong goal--to be remembered as a woman who uplifted African American businesses and ensured they were never overlooked--has not only been achieved, but far surpassed. Her legacy is one of empowerment, resilience, and community transformation, and Tampa Bay is stronger because of her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History Month to honor Marvin R. Knight, whose lifelong commitment to uniting people reflects the values he learned from both his family and the community that shaped him.

Marvin Knight was born in Dade City, Florida, grew up in Zephyrhills and graduated from Leto High School in Tampa in 1979. Son of Early D. and Joyce M. Knight, and the youngest of nine, Marvin was shaped by the values of a close-knit family devoted to hard work. In Zephyrhills, he got an early start picking oranges, stacking sod and collecting chicken eggs. When he moved to West Tampa in the mid-1970s, he picked up a job at Boromei-Mirabella Seafood Co., which had its origins selling fish to hungry dock workers in the 1920s that grew into a family business that thrived in community engagement. Marvin had a front-row seat to this--a family that worked together to contribute to the local economy, build community trust and make a positive impact. Marvin started at the company cleaning floors and learned from the Mirabella family about savings, responsibility and met many of influential community members. Before long, Marvin was making candidate signs, getting involved in local campaigns, and learning the in's and out's of public policy.

Marvin went on to earn a degree in electronic technology and computer electronics, and started working for TECO Energy in 1985. During his 36-year tenure at the company, he was a journeyman mechanic and then a senior transformer repairman. While he had the opportunity to join TECO management, he chose to stay in the union and remain active in union causes. Also, during his tenure at TECO, he continued helping out Mirabella Seafood Co., eventually going into partnership with the family and then buying them out in the 1990s. Marvin's Oriental Fish Co. still stands today as a family-owned business that brings people together where visitors can order up fresh seafood always with a side of friendliness. The Oriental Fish Co. is also a welcome sight when seen serving up hot plates for our community--such as in the aftermath of hurricanes or on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

While Marvin's parents were his primary influences in learning the important work of bringing people together, he also took note of this convening power on the national stage during the Civil Rights era under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. He said: ``When you look at the marches, it wasn't just African Americans, there were whites, females, Italians, Cubans . . . all walks of life. He brought us together for a common cause.'' In his latest effort to continue bringing our community together, Marvin launched Positive Image Tampa Bay aimed at unity through uplifting community events.

There are few causes where Marvin hasn't lent his time, talent and treasure. He has served on the HART Board of Directors, Hillsborough County Tax Collector Advisory Board, Tampa Police Development Citizens Advisory Committee, West Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency, East Tampa Civic Association, Belmont Heights Little League Advisory Board, Robles Park Boys & Girls Club, Freddie Solomon Boys & Girls Club. He is a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Honorary Deputy, a life member of the local NAACP and a member of St. John's Progressive Missionary Baptist Church.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my Tampa Bay area neighbors, I extend my profound appreciation to Marvin Knight whose steadfast dedication to our community, and deliberate and consistent service reflect the values instilled in him and stand as an example for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Veteran Robert James Hagarty's 90th birthday and for his service to our country and the Tampa Bay community.

Robert Hagarty was born on February 28, 1936, in New Jersey, and spent his life rooted in the values of a veteran upbringing. Hagarty dedicated his life to building one of the largest private collections of war memorabilia in the world. His father, a World War I veteran, instilled in him a passion for service and patriotism. Hagarty recounted that, at age 10, his father gave him two decorative buttons from his uniform, and he traces his passion to that moment. ``Those were like gold, to me, since they were from the war; instantly, I wanted more.''

In 1966, Hagarty served in the 25th Infantry as a Vietnam Veteran, before being honorably discharged after four years in the Army. Later, Hagarty moved to St. Petersburg and not only found his hometown but also a reason to unite the community through his collection of war medals.

Hagarty's work is rooted in every part of the community, ranging from being a schoolteacher, historian and Army veteran. His pride in highlighting the heroism of soldiers, their families, and veterans is evident in his endless collection and preservation of war history. Today, Hagarty continues to forge connections to the patriotic past like the buttons sewn onto his father's uniform.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the St. Petersburg community, it gives me great pride to honor and send many wishes to Robert Hagarty on his 90th birthday. Hagarty is a living testament to what you can do for your country and your neighbors. Through his leadership, perseverance, and commitment to honoring Veterans' heroism, Hagarty remains a shining example in the Tampa Bay area.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4758. It is a bill that is going to sock it to the pocketbooks of our hardworking neighbors back home. Republicans appear to be doing everything they can to stick their heads in the sand when it comes to the affordability squeeze.

Higher costs, that is the last thing that our neighbors back home need right now. Yet, there is this relentless march by Republicans to bring bills to the floor that rip away savings from people who could really use it right now.

What does this bill do? It guts a very popular, commonsense initiative that hardworking Americans rely on. In 2022, Congress passed some rebates to help people afford home appliances through two home energy rebate initiatives that helped to lower their electric bills.

The first is the Home Efficiency Rebates Program, or HOMES. That is the rebate to households that conduct whole-house energy-saving retrofits. That means that our neighbors can increase insulation in their homes or improve their HVAC systems.

The second is the Home Electrification and Appliances Rebate Program, or HEAR. That provides rebates to upgrade electric panels, conduct weatherization, or purchase an appliance like an electric water heater or air-conditioner, because oftentimes we know that people need a little bit of help with that upfront cost. If they can get a little help to afford an upgraded appliance, that is going to save them money in the long run.

Mr. Speaker, it is just a real head-scratcher as to why Republicans are bringing this bill in the midst of an affordability crisis, but I think if you listened to the State of the Union Address last night, that is a little bit illuminating because the President said that everything is great in America. He solved it. There is no affordability squeeze. Look, our economy is roaring. Everybody is doing great.

That is not what I hear from my neighbors back home in Florida. Everything costs more. In fact, 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills.

Electric rates across the country are up by 13 percent on average and are higher in a lot of places. Then, these illegal, arbitrary tariffs have added to this affordability squeeze. Many analyses have it that the average household is paying $1,700 more per year because of the Trump tariffs, and Republicans in Congress have been supportive the entire way along.

Even after the United States Supreme Court ruled last week that the tariffs--these high import taxes, the highest in 100 years on households, making their groceries, their appliances, and everything else cost more--are illegal and that the President doesn't have the authority to do that, the President doubles down and says that he does.

In fact, the President is going to inflict more pain, and Republicans last night in this Chamber cheered--cheered--more taxes on hardworking Americans.

This relates directly to the bill that we are debating today because we are talking about affordable appliances. Do you know what tariffs have done to the cost of appliances? Tariffs have driven a steady rise in appliance pricing, hitting American consumers with higher costs for essentials like refrigerators, washers, dryers, and dishwashers.

Since most appliances rely on imported steel, aluminum, and foreign- made components, such as motors and control boards, tariffs on both finished goods and parts have pushed up production and import costs. Retailers and manufacturers are working on very slim margins. They have passed along all of these increases directly to shoppers, leading to some of the fastest price jumps in years.

Now that the President thumbs his nose at what the Supreme Court has told him and is now inflicting new pain and new taxes on Americans, new tariffs, that is going to keep the prices of appliances elevated at a time when people are really under the gun and feeling the squeeze. They are going to make it harder to replace or upgrade big-ticket items.

The result is the persistent squeeze on American budgets with no meaningful relief in sight. People will tell you this. They will say that they might have listened to that speech last night, but they are out of touch. Everything is not all well.

The affordability crisis is not solved, and now Republicans bring a bill to the floor that makes it harder and makes everything more expensive for people back home.

Mr. Speaker, 54 States and territories are already getting these rebate initiatives out, getting the money into the pockets of consumers. Governors and State energy offices have dedicated their own funding and staff time, and they are working with the Department of Energy. This is something that Americans of all political stripes will support, and they need it.

Texas received $689 million to help Texans afford new appliances and weatherize their homes. Ohio received $249 million. Republicans are going to rip that away. Kentucky received $134 million.

In Georgia and North Carolina, where rebates are already in place, participating families are saving over $1,000 a year. That doesn't make up for the tariffs, the pain inflicted and the higher costs that people are paying, but it will sure help. Every dollar will help working families right now.

In Florida, I know my neighbors are very eager to take advantage of the $346 million in cost savings that will come under these initiatives. We received it just last week.

Mr. Speaker, do you know why it is particularly important to parts of the country that have experienced disasters and hurricanes? I will tell you a story. I was meeting with a small business owner and homeowners last week who are still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

One of my neighbors, Rebecca, is a retiree on a fixed income and living in a 960-square-foot home in St. Petersburg. When Hurricane Helene hit, she lost her car, her furniture, her washer and dryer, and her air-conditioner. What happened in the subsequent months? Electric bills went up, up, up. Last year, she paid $170 in May, $258 in June, and $314 in July. As people try to rebuild, they could really use these rebates as they are replacing their appliances.

Why do Republicans want to make life so much harder and more expensive? I guess it is because they believed what the President said last night, that everything is great, everything is fine, nothing to see here.

Mr. Speaker, that is out of touch. It is really out of touch.

For all of these reasons, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to the committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.

My amendment would require the Secretary of Energy to certify that implementation of this act would not increase costs for homeowners and renters.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the text of this amendment immediately prior to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, our neighbors are suffering an affordability crisis. They want policymakers in Washington, D.C., to help solve problems and bring down the cost of living.

Every time the President and congressional Republicans deny that this is happening and say that everything is great and everything is well, they are doing a real disservice to hardworking American families.

Tariffs, higher electric bills, the cost of housing, and the cost of groceries, you can't turn a blind eye to it, and you shouldn't. What you should do is adopt my motion to recommit and defeat this bill. Vote ``no.'' Our neighbors deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4626. I thank the ranking member for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, we are here at a time when later today we are going to hear the State of the Union Address. Based upon everything we know with the state of the Union, things are very expensive. Our neighbors back home are suffering a real affordability squeeze.

Especially when we are talking about energy, we know that 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills right now. Look at our home State of Florida, Mr. Speaker, where FPL and TECO were just granted the largest rate hikes in history. That is $6 billion that Floridians are going to have to pay, higher costs at a time when they are really struggling with groceries and housing and hurricane repair at the same time.

Across America, electric utility rate hikes are at about 13 percent, much higher in some places. We know that manufacturing jobs decreased last year in 2025. Much of that is because of these arbitrary tariffs, the highest import taxes in about 100 years that Americans are paying for. Even the Supreme Court said we can't do that. They are arbitrary. They are illegal. People really deserve to get some money back from the illegal tariffs.

Then when we add on top the impact of the big, ugly bill. It is anticipated that due to the big, ugly bill passed by Republicans last summer, hardworking Americans are going to pay about 61 percent more on their electric bills over the next decade. Of course, there are healthcare costs, too, because of that big, ugly bill.

My guest for the State of the Union Address tonight is a small business owner from Tampa, Linda Misner. She and her husband own a healthcare business, a wellness business, in Tampa. With the benefit of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, they were paying about $300 per month. Just like a lot of Florida families, they are hardworking Americans, small business owners.

As they are too young for Medicare, healthcare costs are just killing them. Without the tax credit, their health insurance premium will go from about $320 per month to $3,000 per month. That is outrageous.

Republicans ripping away that healthcare tax credit means that Linda and her husband now have had to go to an insurance plan that does not provide the same coverage. It doesn't provide prescription care. They are really at their wits' end, like a lot of Americans.

Things are too expensive. Everything the Republicans and the President have done has made life harder. It has made going to the grocery store like a military exercise. We are trying to figure out what we can buy.

To add insult to injury, we should be working together on legislation that will help our neighbors back home. What bills do the Republicans bring to the floor of the House today, the day of the State of the Union Address? They bring a bill that is going to make things more expensive. They are going to make electricity bills more expensive.

Energy efficiency standards are very popular. They are some of the most important tools that we have in helping to keep the pressure on lower electric bills. They have been a success.

Energy efficiency standards used to be bipartisan for refrigerators and air conditioners and dishwashers, but that has gone by the wayside. I don't know why. Mr. Pallone kind of shined a light on that. High- powered corporations with all too much influence here in Washington, D.C., are calling the shots.

Utility companies and oil and gas companies want us to use more energy. They want us to consume more. They don't want us to be energy efficient. People really deserve better these days.

What does H.R. 4626 do? It guts those efficiency standards that have saved the average American household about $6,000 over the last 10 years. In fact, Consumer Reports, a very well-respected and trusted organization, the Consumer Federation of America, writes:

``Appliance efficiency standards ensure that any of the huge array of product choices available to consumers incorporate energy-saving designs and technology that help limit energy consumption and utility bills.''

``Energy efficiency doesn't just directly save money but also puts downward pressure on utility rates. Energy efficiency gains have helped create a downward trend in household energy consumption over the past 20 years, reducing the amount of investments utilities have had to make, preventing costs that they would have otherwise passed on to consumers. While energy efficiency alone can't solve all energy affordability challenges, it plays an important role in helping to counterbalance rising electricity prices.''

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this letter from Consumer Reports and Consumer Federation of America.

February 23, 2026.

Hon. Mike Johnson,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,

Democratic Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Brett Guthrie,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Frank Pallone,

Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Chairman Guthrie,

and Ranking Member Pallone: The undersigned groups write in

strong opposition to H.R. 4626, which would grant new powers

to the executive branch to weaken or remove appliance and

equipment efficiency standards and set roadblocks to future

improvements. If enacted, this bill would raise costs for

households across America.

Appliance standards ensure consumers and businesses have

access to cost-saving technologies that help reduce their

utility bills. Without existing standards, the typical US

household would have spent an additional $6,000 on utility

bills over the past decade, according to a recent report.

With these savings, it's not surprising that these

standards have broad public support. Surveys conducted in

2025 by Consumer Reports showed that an overwhelming majority

(87 percent) of consumers across the political spectrum (82

percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats) believe,

that new home appliances for sale in the U.S. should be

required to achieve at least a minimum level of efficiency.''

Respondents say that their top motivation for wanting a more

efficient large home appliance is lower energy bills.

Appliance efficiency standards ensure that any of the huge

array of product choices available to consumers incorporate

energy-

saving designs and technology that help limit energy

consumption and utility bills. Even with potentially higher

upfront costs, energy efficient appliances still provide much

more than adequate bill savings for consumers across the

country. Existing efficiency standards deliver a 3x to 5x

return on investment for buyers. Minimum efficiency standards

are especially valuable for the ∼44 million American

households who rent, and typically have no direct control

over the appliances within their homes.

Energy efficiency doesn't just directly save money but also

puts downward pressure on utility rates. Energy efficiency

gains have helped create a downward trend in household energy

consumption over the past 20 years, reducing the amount of

investments utilities have had to make, preventing costs that

they would have otherwise passed on to consumers. While

energy efficiency alone can't solve all energy affordability

challenges, it plays an important role in helping to

counterbalancing rising electricity prices.

By potentially enabling the executive branch to roll back

efficiency standards, H.R. 4626 would increase costs for

consumers. H.R. 4626 would add needless steps to an already

lengthy rulemaking process and set arbitrary minimum savings

thresholds and payback periods that would put future

improvements to many standards out of reach.

For the above reasons, the undersigned consumer

organizations respectfully oppose H.R. 4626. Thank you for

this opportunity to address these policy measures. The

undersigned groups welcome the opportunity to discuss how

Congress can improve affordability for consumers, but this

bill takes us in the wrong direction.

Sincerely,

Chris Harto,

Manager, Sustainability Policy, Consumer Reports, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, the bill also says it would gut the ability of manufacturers, consumer groups, and others to arrive at consensus.

Most of what happens when the Department of Energy goes to update energy efficiency standards is that everyone gets together and they work out a consensus. It is a consensus that helps consumers save money but ensures that there is not a burden on business. Over time, technology has improved time and time again.

Some of us are old enough to reflect on the very limited choices we had decades ago on our household appliances. Now we go shopping. We have wide consumer choice.

I know my friends on the other side of the aisle like to say this is a mandate. They are telling us what to buy. People are smart. They know better than that.

When consumers go shopping, it is up to them to decide: Do I want the energy efficient model? Do I want the midsize model? What benefits us? What really applies and helps my family? They have the choice to make.

Over time, through this important energy efficiency initiative at the Department of Energy, people have really saved a lot of money. It has allowed our manufacturers to do well.

To gut these energy efficiency standards would be a gift to China. People are already suffering, paying more because of tariffs on some household appliances and supplies. If we really want to help consumers save money, why don't we do something to get the tariff revenue back to hardworking Americans?

A lot of the big businesses now are saying to the Trump administration that they want that tariff money back. What would really be fair is to get that tariff money back to the hardworking Americans who paid those import taxes, those illegal tariffs and arbitrary tariffs, imposed by a President who would like to wield them for retribution, creating--let's get back to the state of the Union-- creating chaos and instability at a time when American families really need policymakers looking out for them and their wallets.

In the end, Mr. Speaker, energy conservation programs have been a very critical and valuable tool to our neighbors back home to help them save trillions of dollars over the past decades. It saves hardworking Americans thousands of dollars per year. It helps businesses save money.

Why in the world, especially on the day of the State of the Union Address, in the middle of an affordability squeeze, would the Republicans bring another bill to the floor that is going to increase the cost of living for our neighbors back home? It is not right. I think Mr. Pallone is absolutely correct. People are out of touch in Washington, D.C.

They listen too often to the loud voices of the powerful special interests and not to the hardworking Americans who are really suffering with higher costs.

Mr. Speaker, people deserve a whole lot better. I hope they will vote this bill down and get back to work serving the people whom we represent.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 169 inventors who will be inducted as the 2025 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). An induction ceremony will take place on June 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, California to celebrate these distinguished inventors and their incredible accomplishments. The ceremony will be presided over by Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI. To be named as a Fellow, these individuals were nominated by their peers and underwent a review process by the NAI Selection Committee, which ultimately deemed their innovations as making a significant impact on the quality of life, economic development and the welfare of their communities, the residents of Florida and the United States.

The NAI Fellow program has 2,253 Fellows worldwide representing more than 300 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. Collectively, the Fellows hold more than 86,000 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 20,000 licensed technologies and 4,000 companies, and created more than 1.4 million jobs. In addition, over $3.8 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.

Among NAI fellows, there are more than 170 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and nonprofit research institutes, over 796 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, about 60 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 76 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science, and 59 Nobel Laureates, among other awards and distinctions.

Founded by Dr. Paul R. Sanberg at the University of South Florida in 2010, the NAI's mission is to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate, and mentor innovative students and translate the inventions of its members to benefit Florida and communities all throughout the United States.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my neighbors in Tampa Bay and the citizens of Florida, I am proud to honor the 2025 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for this outstanding achievement. We must commend these inventors for their invaluable contributions to society, which continually propel us forward. May their example inspire future generations to pursue their own paths of discovery and innovation, ensuring a bright and innovative future for us all. I include in the Record the following list of the names of the 2025 NAI Fellows Class:

Reza Abdolvand, University of Central Florida; Gregory

Abowd, Northeastern University; Anant Agarwal, The Ohio State

University; Ali AL-Marzouqi, United Arab Emirates University;

Mansoor Amiji, Northeastern University; Ana Claudia Arias,

University of California, Berkeley; Aravind Asokan, Duke

University; Gregory Auner, Wayne State University; Jennifer

Avari Silva, Washington University in St. Louis; Ahmad Bahai,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Hua ``Kevin'' Bai, The

University of Tennessee, Knoxville; David Baker, University

of Washington; Sathy Balu-iyer, University at Buffalo, The

State University

of New York; Dafna Bari Sagi, NYU Langone Health; Matthew

Barth, University of California, Riverside; Haim Bau,

University of Pennsylvania; Magdy Bayoumi, University of

Louisiana at Lafayette; Zdenek Bazant, Northwestern

University; Rohit Bhargava, University of Illinois Urbana-

Champaign; Suresh Bhargava, Royal Melbourne Institute of

Technology; Stephan Biller, Purdue University; Christian

Brechot, University of South Florida; Igal Brener, Sandia

National Laboratories; Robert Brown, Case Western Reserve

University; J. Quincy Brown, Tulane University; Louis Brus,

Columbia University; Carol Carter, Stony Brook University;

Chan-Byoung Chae, Yonsei University; Krishnendu Chakrabarty,

Arizona State University; Joseph Chang, Nanyang Technological

University, Singapore; Goutam Chattopadhyay, California

Institute of Technology & NASA Jet Propulsion Lab; Eugene

Chen, Colorado State University; Ji-Xin Cheng, Boston

University; Gari Clifford, Emory University; Gloria Coruzzi,

New York University; Sheng Dai, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

& University of Tennessee, Knoxville; James Dalton, Louisiana

State University; Kapil Dandekar, Drexel University; Sylvia

Daunert, University of Miami; David Deamer, University of

California, Santa Cruz; Andr6 DeHon, University of

Pennsylvania; Zhiqun (Daniel) Deng, Pacific Northwest

National Laboratory; Tomas Diaz de la Rubia, The University

of Arizona; Deepakraj Divan, Georgia Institute of Technology;

Ravi Droopad, Texas State University; Tal Dvir, Tel Aviv

University; Maher ElKady, University of California, Los

Angeles; Omolola Eniola-Adefeso, University of Illinois at

Chicago; Hongyou Fan, Sandia National Laboratories; Shanhui

Fan, Stanford University; Omar Farha, Northwestern

University; Benny Freeman, The University of Texas at Austin;

Tahir Ghani, University of California, Berkeley; Swaroop

Ghosh, The Pennsylvania State University; Barney Graham,

Morehouse School of Medicine; Rasim Guldiken, Oklahoma State

University; Jay Guo, University of Michigan; Satyandra Gupta,

University of Southern California; Vineet Gupta, University

of Texas Medical Branch; Hossam Haick, Technion--Israel

Institute of Technology; Eva Harth, University of Houston;

David Haussler, University of California, Santa Cruz; Donald

Haynie, Centers for DiseaseControl; Abdelsalam Sumi Helal,

University of Florida; Yehia Ibrahim, Pacific Northwest

National Laboratory; Erick Iezzi, U.S. Naval Research

Laboratory; Ehsan Jabbarzadeh, University of South Carolina;

Yali Jia, OregonHealth & Science University; Eugene John,

University of Texas at San Antonio; Darren Johnson,

University of Oregon; Emil Jovanov, The University of Alabama

in Huntsville; Tibor Juhasz, University of California,

Irvine; Raghu Kalluri, The University of Texas MD Anderson

Cancer Center; Dilhan M. Kalyon, Stevens Institute of

Technology; Raghuraman Kannan, University of Missouri-

Columbia; Mark Kelley, Indiana University; John Kellum,

University of Pittsburgh; Michael Koeris, U.S. Department of

War--Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; Elisa

Konofagou, Columbia University; Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown,

Arizona State University; Florian Krammer, Icahn School of

Medicine at Mount Sinai; Yue Kuo, Texas A&M University &

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; Jih-Sheng ``Jason''

Lai, Virginia Tech; Carlito Lebrilla, University of

California, Davis; Jean-Pierre Leburton, University of

Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Jason Lewis, Memorial Sloan

Kettering Cancer Center; Guoqiang Li, Louisiana State

University; Jenshan Lin, National Science Foundation; Lih-

Yuan Lin, University of Washington; Stuart Lipton, The

Scripps Research Institute; Bin Liu, National University of

Singapore; Jun O. Liu, Johns Hopkins University; Ping Liu,

University of California, San Diego; Yan-Fei Liu, Queen's

University; Leslie M. Loew, University of Connecticut; Boon

Thau Loo, University of Pennsylvania; Dusan Losic, Adelaide

University; Jian Lu, City University of Hong Kong; Na (Luna)

Lu, Purdue University; Daniel Ludois, University of

Wisconsin-Madison; Alan Luo, The Ohio State University;

Barbara Lyons, Lawrence Technological University; Chris

Malachowsky, NVIDIA & University of Florida; Heidi M.

Mansour, Florida International University; H. Alan Mantooth,

University of Arkansas; David Martin, University of Delaware;

Prasant Mohapatra, University of South Florida; Yaakov

Nahmias, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Arokia Nathan,

University of Cambridge; Maiken Nedergaud, University of

Rochester; Daniel Nelson, University of Maryland, College

Park; Henry Nguyen, University of Missouri-Columbia; David

Nolte, Purdue University; John O' Shea, National Institutes

of Health; Subba Reddy Palli, University of Kentucky;

Bernhard Palsson, University of California, San Diego;

Dipanjan Pan, The Pennsylvania State University; Marios-

Christos Papaefthymiou, University of California, Irvine;

Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos, University of Minnesota;

Chandrakant D. Patel, Hewlett-Packard & University of South

Florida; Stacey Patterson, Florida State University; Sanjoy

Paul, Rice University; Dehua Pei, The Ohio State University;

Danyll J. Pines, University of Maryland, College Park; Kevin

W. Plaxco, University of California, Santa Barbara; Marc

Porter, The University of Utah; George Prendergast, Lankenau

Institute for Medical Research; Shashank Priya, University of

Minnesota; Eric Prossnitz, The University of New Mexico;

Alfredo QuinonesHinojosa, Mayo Clinic; Sdnivasa Raghavan,

University of Maryland, College Park; Barry Rand, Princeton

University; Arijit Raychowdhury, Georgia Institute of

Technology; Jochen Reiser, University of Texas Medical

Branch; Shunlin Ren, Virginia Commonwealth University; C.

Patrick Reynolds, Texas Tech University Health Sciences

Center; R. Michael Roe, North Carolina State University;

Steven Rosenberg, National Institutes of Health; Todd

Rosengwt, Baylor College of Medicine; Joe Ruscito, Medical

University of South Carolina; John Ruter, University of

Georgia; Alan Saltiel, University of California, San Diego;

Paul Santene, University of Toronto; Marios Savvides,

Carnegie Mellon University; Patrick Schnable, Iowa State

University; Mark Schoenfisch, The University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill; John Schroeder, Texas Tech

University; Mathias Schubert, University of Nebraska-Lincoln;

James Schwob, Tufts University; Mohamed Seleem, Virginia

Tech; Mark Sheplak, University of Florida; James Simon,

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Dennis Slamon,

University of California, Los Angeles; Barbara Slusher, Johns

Hopkins University; J. Cory Smart, Georgetown University;

Stuart Smith, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte;

Gurindar Sohi, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Stephen

Soper, University of Kansas; Timothy A. Springer, Harvard

University; Mircea Stan, University of Virginia; Hung-Jue

Sue, Texas A&M University; Shang-Hua Teng, University of

Southern California; Kevin J. Tracey, The Feinstein

Institutes for Medical Research; Philip R. Troyk, Illinois

Institute of Technology; Chad A. Ulven, North Dakota State

University; Kripa K. Varanasi, Massachusetts Institute of

Technology; Jesse Wainright, Case Western Reserve University;

Andrew Wang, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical

Center; Yan Wang, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Adam Wax,

Duke University; Rob Webster, Vanderbilt University; John

Weidner, University of Cincinnati; David C. Weindorf, Georgia

Southern University; Muthu B.J. Wijesundara, The University

of Texas at Arlington; Tien Yin Wong, Tsinghua University;

Tzong-Lin Wu, National Taiwan University; Cheryl Xu, North

Carolina State University; Yajun Yan, University of Georgia;

Lan Yang, Washington University in St. Louis; Yasha Yi,

University of Michigan; Richard Zare, Stanford University;

Wen Zhang, New Jersey Institute of Technology;Otto Zhou, The

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Zi-Qiang

Zhu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3617. I wish we were here discussing how we could lower the cost of living. I wish in the Energy and Commerce Committee, where we are controlling the time, we could discuss a bill that will lower electricity prices for our neighbors back home. Or even as the title of this bill suggests, it is related to critical minerals, but when you read the bill, Mr. Speaker, the text of the bill, there is nothing related to critical minerals. It is kind of a sneaky little bill.

Actually, if we pass this bill, it is quite likely that energy bills and electricity bills are going to go up. It is likely that this will lead to higher costs across the entire economy. Electric bills are already sky-high.

American families last year were suffering from, on average, about 13 percent increases in their electric bills. They were much higher in many places across the country.

In Florida, they passed along a $6 billion rate increase. They were calling it the largest rate increase and the highest rate increase in the history of the country.

What have we seen out of this administration?

We have seen just the sabotage of affordable, reliable, clean, and cheaper energy coming onto the grid, and now this.

This is an important topic. I have gained a little bit of knowledge not just from the Energy and Commerce Committee, but I serve on the bipartisan Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. My colleague, Republican Rob Wittman, and I led a critical minerals working group in the last Congress.

It is clear the United States is way too reliant on China. Beijing has weaponized the critical mineral supply chain. That is why Democrats leaned into it and passed important policies in the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act to spur domestic manufacturing and policies that enabled us to work with our partners and allies across the globe to counter China. We didn't do anything like threaten Greenland or insult Canada. We thought it was important to work together to counter all of the coercion from the Chinese Communist Party.

There have been major investments in domestic critical mineral supply chains, breaking the dependence on China. The United States energy sector relies on a broad portfolio of critical minerals, so we have to have a resilient supply chain for the advanced technologies and the innovation in energy generation, storage, and transmission.

The International Energy Agency estimates that mineral demand for clean energy technology will almost triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2024. Therefore, the development of diverse, resilient, and sustainable critical mineral supply chains, free from Chinese Communist Party influence, will be fundamental.

However, this bill just doesn't do it. As I said before, it is a sneaky, sneaky little bill.

It was introduced the last Congress. It hasn't gone anywhere because it doesn't solve any problem. It doesn't get to the heart of the matter.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at what they want to do, they say: We are going to amend the Department of Energy's mission to include securing the supply of critical energy resources--not minerals--and it directs the DOE to conduct ongoing assessments to develop strategies to strengthen critical energy resource supply chains--not minerals.

Again, this vague definition risks diverting resources away from critical minerals actually and towards--and here is where we will yank the curtain back on what this really is about. It is about everything that this administration has done to serve the fossil fuel industry, the dirty fuel industry, from canceling clean energy projects that would help lower electric bills that would bring cleaner and cheaper resources onto the grid, projects like offshore wind that is fully permitted and ready to go and provide resources we can rely on during winter storms.

This administration has canceled large-scale transmission projects to help bring the additional load we need onto the transmission system, just to make the grid more resilient in America as we suffer through these extreme weather events.

We cannot afford these diversions. We cannot afford the Republicans continuing to sabotage cleaner, cheaper energy in America. This kind of sneaky maneuver reminds me of what they have done on tariffs this entire Congress that we finally overcame.

Everyone kind of understands now that they are paying more at the grocery store because of the President's arbitrary tariffs. I know he likes to say: Oh, other countries are going to pay these tariffs, but all of the experts, everyone knows, prices are higher because of these import taxes.

In fact, tariffs are at their highest level in about 100 years. That is how high they are. The Budget Lab at Yale says on average households are paying probably $1,700 more than they would have without these crazy tariffs that the President wields like a tool of retribution and fear.

That is not how you--you have got to keep the American people and their pocketbooks central rather than you are threatening Greenland. He has to have Greenland. He is going to insult Canada and put tariffs on Canada.

Thankfully, later this afternoon, we are going to debate and try to remove some of these arbitrary added taxes on the American people and lower the cost of living. That is why your shoes, your clothes, and, yes, electric equipment and metals are costing more right now. It is costing everybody way too much more.

Here is what they did here in the House of Representatives. They actually said: We are not going to be able to debate a removal of tariffs in the House of Representatives, the people's House. They were able to get away with it for a year, almost a year after the President's liberation day. They snuck it into a rule so we wouldn't have any debate on the high cost of living driven by these import taxes.

Well, last night, late last night in the House of Representatives-- while you were probably watching ice skating in the Olympics--because three brave Republicans crossed over and joined all of the Democrats, we are going to have that debate.

We are going to have that vote because what is central to people's lives right now is their pocketbooks. They are just being hammered, not just by their electric bills, but also their grocery bills and everything they buy.

We have a responsibility in this House to look out for the people back home rather than serve the special interests. This Congress has been all about serving the special interests, and that includes the folks who really are pushing this bill.

It is not about critical minerals. If it were, then it would actually be in the text of the bill, but it is not. It is about, again, giving a gift to political supporters, the polluters who are running the show and the agencies that have all too much influence here in the Halls of Congress while electricity

prices are up well over 13 percent and 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their electric bills. I say Americans deserve a whole lot better. They deserve a whole lot better than what they are getting from this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat this sneaky little bill, and let's get on to the debate on how we improve the cost of living and serve the people who sent us here.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th Year Anniversary of Ballast Point Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. For 100 years, Ballast Point Elementary has educated students and provided the foundation of success in life.

Ballast Point Elementary was originally housed in a small, three-room wooden building with each grade level of students seated in a single row. A new Ballast Point Elementary School was opened at the beginning of the 1925 to 1926 school year amidst the significant population growth and development of the 1920s. The talented educators, custodians, nutrition experts, counselors, the Parent Teacher Association and South Tampa neighbors have provided dependable support throughout the years in lifting the school and students every step of the way.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Glenn Hinson, Ballast Point Elementary's first library opened in 1963 with a collection of approximately 12,000 books, providing roughly 11 books per student. As Principal Hinson noted, ``We have a good community interest and a strong PTA support.'' In addition to the PTA's donation of several hundred dollars worth of books, the school board also granted $1,500 to the library. This early development proved Ballast Point Elementary's unwavering commitment to its mission: fostering a learning environment where students feel valued, challenged, and inspired.

Tampa is patriotic community, and Ballast Point Elementary has served many students from nearby MacDill Air Force Base military families through the years. It is a true point of pride.

Ballast Point Elementary has a distinguished record of achievement, receiving both the Florida 5-Star School Award and the Golden School Award for the past 14 consecutive years, along with recognition as a Grade ``A'' Florida School for 16 consecutive years. Ballast Point Elementary's inclusive goal of a minimum of one year's growth for all students aligns with the Hillsborough County School's overarching vision of preparing students for life. Ballast Point Elementary embodies an educational institution that allows students to thrive and feel inspired.

Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud to support the high-quality public schools and talented teachers in Tampa and Hillsborough County. On behalf of my neighbors who value high quality education and talented teachers, I celebrate Ballast Point Elementary on 100 years of educating thousands of young students in a community that loves the spirit of a Ballast Point Bulldogs.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present for votes on January 14 and January 15, 2026. Consequently, I am not recorded for Roll Call No. 24 through Roll Call No. 31.

Had I been present, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 24; NAY on Roll Call No. 25; NAY on Roll Call No. 26; NAY on Roll Call No. 27; YEA on Roll Call No. 28; NAY on Roll Call No. 29; YEA on Roll Call No. 30; and NAY on Roll Call No. 31.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5184 because it will lead to higher costs for hardworking American families, especially higher electric bills that are spiking under Republican policies.

Despite President Trump's promise that he was going to lower electric bills, he was going to cut them in half, electricity prices are up by over 13 percent over last year and much higher in many places. Americans have been hammered with about $86 billion in rate increases. In Florida, the Republican utilities commission just passed along the highest rate increase in the history of our State. Some are characterizing this as the largest rate increase in the history of the country.

The Republican big, ugly bill is also driving prices higher, along with Trump's illegal interference with clean energy projects that were ready to come on line and help lower prices. That is just not smart, and neither is this bill that would gut the Department of Energy's ability to set energy efficiency standards for manufactured homes. These were goals given by Congress in a bipartisan way years ago to help our neighbors save money back home.

Yes, Americans are facing a housing affordability crisis, but they are also facing an energy affordability crisis. Republicans are using this bill to try to prevent a false choice between tackling both of those problems, but Republicans have done nothing to address the economic instability of hardworking American families.

Just ask my neighbors back home in Florida. Florida has more manufactured homes than any State in the country, about 800,000 manufactured homes, so that is 10 percent of all manufactured housing in the United States. What the Republicans will not tell you is that manufactured homes often have very poor insulation. They use about 50 percent more electricity than other types of construction.

Utilities in Florida do not offer any efficiency programs designed for manufactured homes, so there is no help there. As a result, it is incredibly difficult for the people living in these homes to pay their electric bills. It is only getting worse with longer, hotter summers fueled by climate change.

At the end of the year, my hometown newspaper actually took a look at the soaring electric bills for manufactured homes. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Tampa Bay Times article of December 30, ``For Tampa Bay's mobile home residents, high electric bills can be a crisis.''

For Tampa Bay's Mobile Home Residents, High Electric Bills Can Be a

Crisis

(By Emily L. Mahoney and Max Chesnes, Dec. 30, 2025)

Energy efficiency standards for mobile homes haven't been

updated in decades, allowing leaky walls to sap budgets.

Rebecca Parris rushes to the bank before it closes.

The power could be shut off soon to her 960-square-foot

mobile home in St. Petersburg, she fears, if she doesn't pay

Duke Energy her overdue bill. The deep red ``Action Required:

Bill Past Due'' banner on a Dec. 16 email from the company--

and the handful that came before it--makes her heart pound.

A neighbor chips in $95, and she speeds over to Bank OZK to

cash the check. This month's crisis is narrowly averted. But

she's already thinking about next month.

``I've worked my ass off my whole life,'' said Parris, 67,

still sitting in the driver's seat of her car from her dash

to the bank. ``But it's been really hard.''

Mobile homes have long been an affordable option for people

with fixed or lower incomes, when a big down payment and

mortgage are out of reach. But beyond the smaller purchase

price lurks a hidden danger: Because of outdated

manufacturing standards, mobile homes can have much higher

electric bills than traditional houses.

For a series of stories on energy affordability, the Tampa

Bay Times asked readers to submit information about their

electric bills. Hundreds responded, and many said they paid

higher bills this year than ever before. Yet even in this

climate, mobile home residents stood out--some with bills

ranging from $300 to $500, roughly comparable to houses twice

their size.

Retired and on a fixed income, Parris has struggled this

year to keep up.

After Hurricane Helene's storm surge flooded her home last

fall, she lost her car, her furniture, a new washer and

dryer. The salt water also damaged her air conditioner, which

she replaced about a month after the storm.

Then she watched this year as her Duke charges climbed:

$170.09 in May.

$258.06 in June, a payment she missed.

$314.85 in July, which ballooned to more than $500 counting

what she still owed.

``It's so so stressful and daunting,'' Parris said. ``I

deal with financial pressures every day like this.''

Rebecca Parris, 67, is struggling to keep up with high

power bills in her 960-square-foot mobile home in St.

Petersburg. ``It's so stressful and daunting,'' she said. ``I

deal with financial pressures every day like this.''

Lowell Ungar, director of federal policy for the American

Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a national advocacy

group, said that while codes for traditional houses have been

constantly improving to require builders to make them more

efficient, mobile home regulations haven't budged in decades.

``In terms of their energy equipment and components,

they're not built very well,'' he said, referring to the

homes' insulation, windows and water heaters, for example.

``The federal code hasn't been changed since 1994--and it

wasn't very strong then.''

Unlike other types of housing, mobile homes are only

subject to federal energy standards, not state building

codes. In 2007, Congress recognized that these requirements

were too weak and passed a law directing the U.S. Department

of Energy to update them. That still hasn't happened.

The agency released updated rules in 2022, but delays to

their compliance date, bureaucratic back-and-forth and

pressure from the manufactured home industry has led to a

``long saga'' of delays, Ungar said.

A bill in Congress called the Affordable HOMES Act, a

Republican-sponsored measure that is advancing with the

support of some Democrats, would roll back the Department of

Energy's most recent attempt to update the standards and

block the agency from setting future ones.

Proponents contend that stricter standards will make new

homes cost more for consumers, an agrument that Ungar said is

outweighed by the larger savings on energy bills, which

result in lower monthly costs even with a slightly higher

mortgage.

``It is beyond frustrating that this has dragged on now

for, depending how you count, 30 years since the energy code

was last updated and 18 years since Congress told the

Department of Energy to fix the problem,'' Ungar said.

``Every year, there's tens of thousands of new homes that

stick their residents with these bills for the decades that

people are in those homes.''

Parris blames the poor insulation in her 1970s home for

leaching cool air in the summer. She'll set her air

conditioning to 77 degrees, but the temperature inside rises

to around 87.

Duke representatives have told her that her new air

conditioning may have been installed improperly, Parris said,

and have explained that her kilowatt usage is double what

they would expect of a home her size.

Poor insulation exacerbates costs that are already rising

because of hikes to base rates and--particularly stark this

year--steep hurricane recovery fees from 2024's disastrous

season.

Brad Coath paid more when he bought his mobile home to get

it upgraded with extra insulation. It's paid off, he said, as

he's noticed it holds its temperature well in the summer.

Still, Coath, a 66-year-old retired nurse, has seen the bills

for his St. Petersburg mobile home swell.

He's enrolled in Duke's budget billing program, which

averages out bills across each quarter to make them more

predictable. They went from around $150 to over $200 this

summer, prompting him to cut back on travel and put off

bigger expenses.

``I get so tired of the PSC just rubber-stamping everything

that comes across their desks,'' Coath said, referring to the

Florida Public Service Commission that approves utility

hikes. ``Do these people not get bills? How do I get that

job?''

Duke Energy has emphasized that the storm cost recovery

charge, which is around $32 monthly for a household using

1,000 kilowatt-hours, will fall off bills in March, which is

also when a separate seasonal discount kicks in. Tampa

Electric's hurricane fee, which is about $20 per month for

the same energy use, will last longer, until September 2026.

Both companies noted they have programs to help mobile home

residents improve their efficiency, like home energy audits

that can lead to discounts. Duke, for example, offers rebates

up to $600 for air conditioner replacements to qualifying

mobile homeowners, and smaller rebates for duct repair. They

are funded by all Duke customers through a charge on their

bills.

Edward Cifelli, 83, moved to Dade City with his wife almost

20 years ago because the rolling pastureland reminded them of

their longtime New Jersey home.

Electric bills for their double-wide usually hover around

$200, an amount they can manage even as the rent for the lot

their home sits on continues to creep upward.

But in August, their Duke bill hit $300 for the first time

Cifelli can remember. He doesn't understand why utilities

charge residents for hurricanes when those should be an

expected part of doing business in Florida.

``It doesn't seem right to me that we pay a certain amount

of money, and when it gets a little expensive for them, they

make us pay extra,'' he said. ``Old people are always

concerned about outliving their savings, and that's where we

are.''

Mr. Speaker, it says: ``Energy efficiency standards for mobile homes haven't been updated in decades, allowing leaky walls to sap budgets.''

They profile an older woman, a retiree on a fixed income in St. Petersburg, who lives in a 960-square-foot manufactured home. After Hurricane Helene, she has really been struggling. She lost her car. She lost her furniture, her washer and dryer, and her air-conditioning.

Now, her electric bills are soaring because of the costs of hurricane recovery and these longer, hotter summers. Her electric bills this year went from $170 in May to $258 in June to $314 in July. That is not affordable. Energy efficiency standards are needed for future residents so they can save money over the long term.

In this story--and I will recommend it to everyone that is concerned about this issue--there is one expert that goes into this and says that in terms of their energy equipment and components, manufactured homes are not built very well. ``The Federal code hasn't been changed since 1994--and it wasn't very strong then.''

It goes on and says: ``Unlike other types of housing, mobile homes are only subject to Federal energy standards, not State building codes. In 2007, Congress recognized that these requirements were way too weak and passed a law directing the U.S. Department of Energy to update them. That still hasn't happened.'' And it needs to happen.

This expert says that people are saying we need more affordable housing, but if you let folks off the hook for future improvements to manufactured homes, you are simply going to weigh down the people who live in them over time. You are not doing them any favors.

This expert says that every year there's tens of thousands of new homes that stick their residents with these bills for decades. That is not right. We can do better than that.

This bill also would move the authority to set these standards from the Department of Energy to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Well, HUD hasn't set energy standards for manufactured homes since 1994, and it was a bipartisan Congress that moved it back to DOE where they have the expertise to do it.

If these standards were to take effect, the DOE standard would save residents an estimated $475 a year on their electric bill. That is not peanuts, especially for that retiree in St. Petersburg who could use every cent right now.

If anything, Congress should be pressing DOE to strengthen standards. Energy efficiency standards are not the barrier to building affordable manufactured homes. Mr. Speaker, more than 58,000 homes already have been built to higher DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes criteria, most in 2025, because many want to do better for their residents. The technology is there and the building materials are there.

These are the people also mostly being hurt primarily by the Republican policies raising the cost of living, whether it is arbitrary tariffs--and maybe the Supreme Court will give us a little relief from these arbitrary tariffs. People are paying, according to one analysis, up to $1,200 to $1,600 more because of arbitrary tariffs every time they go to the grocery store or for construction materials, canceled energy projects, and the big, ugly bill and cuts to healthcare.

While speaking of healthcare, thanks to the American people speaking out, along with hospitals, doctors, and nurses, every House Democrat and 17 Republicans yesterday voted to extend the ACA tax credits and lower costs. I hope this is catching. I hope this would catch on with our Republican colleagues because people are feeling very insecure when it comes to their family budgets.

You add on something like this where there is no hope for the future to help save money if you are going to live in a manufactured home, your arbitrary tariffs, all this is weighing down on people. If Republicans actually wanted to lower household costs, they would restore tax credits, as well, related to residential clean energy that they gutted as part of the big, ugly bill. They were working to help people save on the high cost of electricity, saving them thousands of dollars on appliances like their AC and heating systems and helping them install solar and batteries or helping them make other home efficiency improvements.

But the Republicans have rejected all of that. They said that is not important. It is more important to give a pass or do a favor for Big Oil companies or the Big Utility companies. Well, we are on the side of the people because they deserve so much better.

Unfortunately, we know the tone the Republicans set last year. I just hoped at the beginning of the year the Republicans would turn the page. Mr. Speaker, 17 did yesterday on healthcare tax credits. I would hope on energy bills they would also look to partner with us to help lower the cost of living. That may be too much to ask for, otherwise they wouldn't be offering bills like these that heap more costs and pain onto our neighbors back home.

Mr. Speaker, American families deserve so much better. This bill needs to be rejected. You need to stand on the side of the people and their pocketbooks for a change.

On behalf of the over half a million hardworking neighbors back home and across the Tampa Bay area, I rise in strong support of the extension of the lifesaving and cost-saving ACA tax credits.

Families are being crushed by inflation and high healthcare costs, and they need the savings that the ACA tax credits provide. Mr. Speaker, 4.7 million Floridians, one in five who live in the Sunshine State, depend on the ACA. It is estimated that without the tax credits, over 1.4 million Floridians will lose their health insurance entirely.

They are entrepreneurs. They are caregivers. They are cancer patients. They are part-time workers. They are small-business workers who have seen their premiums more than double, and they deserve so much better.

That includes Yohanna, a small business owner in Tampa and the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome, who without enhanced tax credits defaults to an insurance plan where every visit will cost her $150 for a copay. It includes Matthew, a truck driver from St. Petersburg, whose premiums rose from $64 a month to $736 per month.

We need to extend these tax credits, and we need to do it now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding the time.

I rise in opposition to H.R. 4593 with a great concern that House Republicans simply do not care to work on any solutions to lower the cost of living for our hardworking neighbors back home.

In 2025, House Republicans failed to bring one bill to the floor to lower the cost of living or to tackle the high rate of inflation, but here is some good news actually: By tomorrow, thanks to House Democrats and a handful of Republicans who stood up to their Speaker, the House will vote to lower the cost of healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. That is a little bit of good news.

If Americans were hoping that Republicans in Congress would start 2026 off with some relief for their pocketbooks, I am sorry to report that, no, Republicans are not bringing bills to lower the cost of living.

I congratulate my Republican colleagues, their first bill of 2026, to set the tone, is to address showerheads. This is critical. You heard that right. It is ridiculous, isn't it? It is so out of touch.

The President promised he was going to cut Americans' power bills in half, but since he took office last year, electric bills are up by 13 percent across the country, and they are much higher in some places. There are 80 million Americans who are struggling just to pay their electric bills. In Florida, the Republican-controlled utilities commission just approved the highest rate increases in the history of the country--they are calling them that--a $6 billion rate increase.

Across the country, folks are facing about $86 billion in electric rate increases, so hold on to your wallet. Rather than help, Republicans have only made things worse. They have gone along with arbitrary tariffs that have raised the cost of living and taken a hatchet to cleaner, cheaper energy. They have gone along with illegally halting energy projects. They ended tax cuts and rebates that helped people afford their electric bills in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.

They are out of touch.

Folks in the Northeast are worried about their rising electric bills because the President in December arbitrarily terminated five offshore wind projects that were under construction. That energy onto the grid would have helped keep the pressure on lower electric bills.

The President canceled final approval for what would have been the Nation's largest solar farm, a 6.2 gigawatt project in the Nevada desert. He illegally ended low-cost solar installation for working- class families that would have helped them and their family budgets.

The President now has canceled major upgrades to the power grid out of the bipartisan infrastructure law, such as the Grain Belt Express transmission line.

Republican policies now--we are adding it up--have cost Americans about 266 gigawatts of planned electricity generation projects in 2025 at a time when there is a surge of new demand for electricity across the country. They are out of touch.

Speaking of being out of touch, of course, the President doesn't believe there is an affordability crisis. He has called it a hoax. The real issues for the President are shower pressure, redecorating the White House, and so much more.

Yes, it was last April that the President thought it was so important he issued an executive order to end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and make America's showers great again. He is out of touch. However, he urged Congress to codify that order, so that is what we are doing here tonight on the first bill of 2026 by this Republican majority. Are they serious?

What has been the President's focus during all this time he has called the affordability crisis a hoax? Well, he paved over the Rose Garden. He has torn down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a grand ballroom funded by people who have business in front of the Federal Government.

I haven't been over to the White House, but all of the pictures show 24 karat gold ornamentation all through the White House. He has installed marble floors. I have seen him tweet that

out. He has also added his name to the Kennedy Center.

For those of you who haven't come to Washington, D.C., he has put banners of his picture up on Federal buildings. He is proposing to put his likeness on gold coins.

Mr. Speaker, I think you get my drift here. It was so galling as people are trying to pay their electric bills and their grocery bills that the President here is bragging about how he has redone the Lincoln bathroom, yes, with gold showerheads.

We don't need to redefine what constitutes a showerhead. We don't need to weaken energy and water conservation measures that help people save money. We don't need to make life more expensive for hardworking neighbors back home. We don't need to boost foreign manufacturers who want to import inferior products to the U.S., but that is what they are doing.

No, in 2026 we are going to need real solutions. I beseech my colleagues to work with us to tackle the high cost of living. You can look back on 2025 now; Federal spending is up. They added $2 trillion to the national debt and they have lost manufacturing jobs when you add it all up. Now their answer on the first bill of the Congress in 2026 is showerheads. They are out of touch.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this Republican charade and to stand up for my neighbors back home who deserve quality and affordable health coverage. That includes over half a million of my hardworking neighbors across the Tampa Bay area.

Mr. Speaker, 4.7 Floridians, or one in five who live in the Sunshine State, are doing everything right. They are entrepreneurs. They are caregivers.

They are part-time workers and small business owners like Linda Misener and her husband. Their premiums will go from $288 per month to over $3,200 per month next year. They cannot afford $39,000 for their healthcare. They are terrified that they are going to lose everything.

David, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer, is unsure how he will continue treatments and afford everything else.

It is unconscionable that Republicans are ripping away coverage to fund their tax breaks for billionaires, the wealthy, and the well- connected. Americans deserve so much better.

Mr. Speaker, defeat this Republican bill. Bring the 3-year bipartisan extension to the floor now.