Sen. Joni Ernst wants to make Biden administration officials sweat — quite literally — to make them follow the federal government’s own energy efficiency guidelines.
The Iowa Republican has filed legislation that would require the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency to crank up their thermostats this summer to the same temperatures recommended by the EPA energy-saving program Energy Star.
The recommendations call for setting the air conditioning to 78 degrees after waking up, 85 degrees when away from home and at work during the day, and 82 degrees when sleeping.
“I’m turning up the heat on the Biden administration to pull the plug on their ridiculous regulations and make Washington bureaucrats think twice before imposing arbitrary rules on Americans,” Ms. Ernst said.
“If they truly believe it’s good enough for hardworking Americans, they should be ready and willing to lead by example and follow their own guidelines,” she said.
The bill, dubbed the Lead by Example Act, has no chance in the Democratic-led Senate. But the Republican senator looks to drive home the point that the administration’s suggested temperatures are unrealistic for everyday comfort amid sweltering summer heat.
The recommended numbers, which Energy Star says could save each household $180 in annual energy costs, have also prompted a firestorm of online debate.
The legislation would also require DOE and EPA to tell Congress what temperature their buildings have been set at since the recommendations first came out in 2021 almost immediately after President Biden took office.
Republicans accuse Mr. Biden’s climate change agenda of too quickly pushing fossil fuels aside and thereby raising energy costs and jeopardizing U.S. energy security and grid reliability.
Biden officials and Democrats argue a more aggressive transition to renewables will lead to lower costs, greater reliability and less reliance on volatile global markets.
“The reality is, Biden bureaucrats are pushing their out-of-touch agenda on the American people to compensate for their failed radical green agenda,” Ms. Ernst said. “It’s time to make ‘em squeal and sweat!”
