Latest action: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 12.
Bill is filed in its originating chamber and assigned a number.
Sponsor
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Filed in the Senate.
Next: In Committee
Members of the committee(s) the bill was referred to
Congressional resolution to reject the Department of Energy's new water heater efficiency standards.
The problem
The Department of Energy issued new energy efficiency rules for gas-fired instant water heaters. Some argue these standards impose costs on manufacturers and consumers without sufficient justification.
The proposal
This joint resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to disapprove and block the Department of Energy's energy efficiency standards for consumer gas-fired instantaneous water heaters.
The impact
Manufacturers would not have to meet the new efficiency standards. Consumers would continue buying less efficient water heaters. Energy usage and utility bills could be affected.
Companies wouldn't need to redesign products to meet new standards, reducing production costs and potentially lowering prices for consumers buying water heaters.
Blocking the rule eliminates compliance requirements, paperwork, and testing expenses that companies face when meeting federal energy standards.
Buyers can choose any water heater available, including older, less expensive models without worrying about efficiency mandates limiting their options.
Manufacturers have more freedom to decide product specifications without federal requirements, potentially spurring innovation and competition in different ways.
Less efficient water heaters use more natural gas or electricity, causing household utility costs to increase over time despite lower upfront purchase prices.
Rejecting efficiency standards means more natural gas and electricity will be consumed nationally, requiring more energy production and resources.
Less efficient appliances produce more carbon emissions when powered. This works against climate and air quality goals that many communities support.
While buying a cheaper water heater saves money initially, higher operating costs over ten to fifteen years make it more expensive than efficient models.
Generated by AI from the bill text. Not a prediction and not legal or policy advice. The percentage is the model's own rating of each item — self-reported, and not a measure of how accurate it is.
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Individual contributions, grouped by employer · FEC
Where their individual donors work · 2026 cycle
Money from people who work there, not from the company. Not tied to this bill.
Itemized individual contributions via FEC, grouped by the employer each contributor self-reported. Companies and unions cannot contribute to federal candidates from their treasuries, so these totals are money from people who work at an employer — never from the organization itself. They are campaign contributions covering a full election cycle and are not connected to this bill.
Senate LDA lobbying disclosures
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