Joe Biden will again be charged with interfering in the lives of American households after his administration announces a green crackdown on dishwashers.
His Department of Energy quietly released stricter regulations on home appliances on Friday afternoon as millions across the country prepared to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
The annual national festivities mark the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
The rules, which are part of the government’s climate agenda, would cut water use by more than a third and cut energy usage limits by 27% for dishwashers in the US.
Any changes will not apply to new models for sale until the new rules officially come into effect, expected in 2027.
The new rules would force manufacturers to limit dishwashers to using 3.2 liters of water per cycle, well below the current federal limit of 5 liters.
Critics of the new rules, released ahead of US Cinco de Mayo festivities, say they could drive up device prices for customers.
President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy is pushing its green agenda by requiring dishwasher manufacturers to make the machines even more efficient
It would also require manufacturers to reduce the energy consumption of their products by nearly 30%.
Most dishwashers on the market are already well below the federal standard, with most using 3.5 gallons per cycle or less.
Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, warned that ordinary Americans will eventually pick up the bill for the new rules.
“Consumers will pay the real price,” she told DailyMail.com. “The Department of Energy has proposed very strict standards for home appliances that require a higher initial cost to purchase a product.”
“Manufacturers simply want to be able to provide high-performing, fully-featured products at a cost that consumers of all incomes can afford. The DoE is making that very difficult with the standards they are proposing,” Ms. Notini added.
But government officials claim the plans will “cut costs for American families and businesses while addressing the climate crisis.”
Abgail Marone, an aide to Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, accused the Biden administration of peddling “a radical green energy agenda.”
“Leave our dishwashers alone,” she said.
It marks the latest step in what the government calls the “war” on home appliances in a bid to cut emissions and conserve energy.
Republicans recently reacted angrily after a Biden-appointed safety regulator suggested authorities could ban gas stoves deemed major polluters.
CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said earlier this year that “gas stove regulation has reached a boiling point.”
Trumka claimed the body “has a responsibility to ban consumer products that emit hazardous substances, especially when those emissions are harmful to children.”
Every option is on the table. Products that cannot be made safe can be banned,” he said.
He later had to clarify that he had talked about new products and that a retroactive ban on gas stoves was not being considered.
Gas stove manufacturers claim that they are just as harmful as other cooking methods
The energy department also wants new efficiency standards for washing machines, but industry insiders complain the regulations will foul laundry day
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission makes decisions independently of the executive branch.
But a leaked memo from October 2022, first obtained by Fox News, showed that the top safety watchdog was considering tightening regulations on hazardous emissions.
Biden’s Department of Energy has already passed stricter environmental standards for washing machines and refrigerators that have been described as “over-regulation of steroids.”
On his first day in office in January 2021, he signed an executive order directing DoE officials to make “major revisions” to current device regulatory standards.
A month later, the agency listed more than a dozen energy-efficiency rules, which affect appliances such as water heaters, cookware and light bulbs, that it would review.
Late last year, the White House released a statement boasting that it had taken action on 110 household appliances to help reduce emissions.