The humble gas stove is again being dragged into a political spat: On Tuesday, it was in the middle of an intraparty squabble between the far-right Freedom Caucus and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Eleven conservative GOP members nuked McCarthy’s bans on banning gas stoves, sending his plans up in flames.
The Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act would have barred the Consumer Product Safety Commission from using federal funds to regulate gas stoves or issue safety guidance that would ban them or make them more expensive. Meanwhile, The Save Our Stoves Act would have blocked the US Department of Energy from issuing standards for cooking products like stoves.
Now, unhappy with McCarthy’s deal with the Biden White House to avoid a default and raise the debt ceiling, the Speaker’s right flank is revolting again, as the compromise with Democrats did not make deep spending cuts.
To peel back the layers here: The folks who have championed gas stoves versus induction stoves in the culture wars voted against H.Res. 463 — a procedural vote to establish rules on a floor vote for two gas stove-related bills — to punish McCarthy.
The resolution failed 206 to 220, the first time a procedural vote of this nature has failed in more than two decades, per NBC News. Here are the 11 Republicans who voted “nay” on the gas bills:
- Rep. Matt Gaetz – Florida
- Rep. Chip Roy – Texas
- Rep. Matt Rosendale – Montana
- Rep. Rob Bishop – North Carolina
- Rep. Ken Buck – Colorado
- Rep. Lauren Boebert – Colorado
- Rep. Eli Crane – Arizona
- Rep. Andy Biggs – Arizona
- Rep. Tim Burchett – Tennessee
- Rep. Ralph Norman – South Carolina
- Rep. Bob Good – Virginia
A twelfth voted “no” on the rule. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was seen on the House floor arguing with defecting members, voted against the rule as a tactical move to bring the rule up again in the future.
The House’s far-right faction — which includes the House Freedom Caucus — has been a thorn in McCarthy’s side since his bid to lead the House Republicans. It was largely responsible for his 14 failed attempts to become Speaker before securing the leadership spot in January of this year.
On the Capitol steps following the vote, Gaetz explained that this could be the first of many blocked bills if McCarthy does not honor a deal Gaetz says he made back in January that helped McCarthy become speaker, according to AP reporter Farnoush Amiri.
“Today we took down the rule because we’re frustrated at the way this place is operating,” Gaetz said. “We took a stand in January to end the era of the imperial speakership.”
“We’re concerned that the fundamental commitments that allowed Kevin McCarthy to assume the speakership have been violated as a consequence of the debt limit deal,” he continued. “The answer for us is to reassert House conservatives as the appropriate coalition partner for our leadership, instead of them making common cause with Democrats.”
Representatives for Gaetz and McCarthy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Until this is resolved, it looks like McCarthy’s agenda is on ice.
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