Biden threatens veto on gas furnaces bill ahead of Senate vote

President Joe Biden has threatened to veto a bill that would undo his administration‘s new efficiency standards for gas furnaces.

The bill, S.J. Res. 58, is scheduled for a vote Tuesday evening in the Senate. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the primary sponsor and says the rule would effectively ban all noncondensing furnace models, forcing people to convert to electric heat pumps.

“This administration doesn’t care that their radical climate agenda will have a catastrophic impact on American families and small businesses,” Cruz said. “Eliminating all non-condensing natural gas furnaces will only serve to further hurt families who are already struggling to get by.”

But Biden argues that the standards will save people money as the rule requires manufacturers to sell only furnaces that convert at least 95% of fuel into heat.

“[The Department of Energy] determined that these standards will result in significant conservation of energy, are technologically feasible, and economically justified,” Biden’s veto threat reads, “providing an estimated $1.5 billion each year in savings on household utility bills—with an average household that upgrades from a legacy model saving an estimated $500 over the new furnace’s lifetime.”

The veto threat means the bill almost certainly will not become law.

Congressional Republicans and the Biden administration have sparred for much of his first term over appliance regulations, most notably gas stoves, which became a national story last year when an administration official suggested they could be banned.

While that has not happened at the federal level, moves to ban gas stoves are advancing in Democratic-controlled states.

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The DOE’s gas furnace regulations are not a ban, though Republicans argue the efficiency standards are so strict that they will amount to one practice. Biden, however, says the rule will help consumers.

“Passage of S.J. Res. 58 would eliminate these commonsense energy efficiency standards that promote choices for consumers to help them save money, prevent waste of electricity and gas, and strengthen energy security,” the White House statement reads. “If the president were presented with S.J. Res. 58, he would veto it.”