Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was roasted this week after his state banned natural gas hookups in new buildings over comments he made earlier this year downplaying the threat of such bans.
"Nobody is taking away your gas stove," Schumer tweeted on Feb. 3. "Shameless and desperate MAGA Republicans are showing us they will cook up any distraction to divert from real issues the American people want solved, like the debt ceiling."
His comments came after a President Biden-appointed member of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission floated the idea of a nationwide ban on natural gas-powered stovetops, citing potential respiratory health concerns. The comments sparked outrage among Republicans, consumer advocacy groups and the gas industry and ultimately forced the White House to disavow any potential ban.
However, on Wednesday, Schumer's home state of New York approved a sweeping $229 billion budget that prohibits gas hookups in new smaller residential buildings by 2026 and in larger residential buildings by 2029, making it the first state in the country to pass such a measure.
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Multiple cities led by Democrats including New York City have already implemented similar gas appliance restrictions and states like California have tackled the issue through modified building codes.
"How many things can [Schumer] get wrong in one tweet?" said Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee's oversight subcommittee.
"NY has moved to ban gas stoves in new builds," Huizenga continued. "Meanwhile the [House GOP] has passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act to raise the debt ceiling, rein in spending, protect Social Security, and preserve VA funding. What a #SchumerSpecial."
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Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said New York's move to ban gas stoves proved Republicans were right to raise the alarm earlier this year.
"Chuck Schumer said banning gas stoves was a conspiracy ‘cooked up’ by ‘shameless and desperate MAGA Republicans.’ We were right. The left is banning gas stoves," Miller tweeted.
And the National Republican Senatorial Committee tweeted, asking for a fact check of Schumer's February tweet.
"New York Senator Chuck Schumer in February: 'Nobody is coming after your gas stove,'" Daniel Turner, the executive director of Power the Future, tweeted. "New York State in May: Becomes the first state to ban gas stoves."
Meanwhile, Republicans have introduced efforts at the federal level to ensure gas stoves are protected.
In January, Huizenga and Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., introduced the Stop Trying to Obsessively Vilify Energy Act which would prohibit federal agencies from banning gas stoves or other gas-powered appliances. And in March, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., unveiled the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, a bill that wold block Energy Department conservation measure targeting the appliance.
On March 29, in a bipartisan 251-181 vote, the House approved an amendment to Republicans' Lower Energy Costs Act that mimics Lesko's bill.
Berkeley, California, became the first jurisdiction to implement such a ban in 2019. However, a federal appeals panel recently ruled that the city's ban violated the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 in a potential blow to similar laws across the country.
