Eleven House GOP members joined Democrats in blocking a procedural vote in a rebuke of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) over the debt ceiling deal with President Joe Biden.
The move that also torpedoed votes on two Republican-backed bills intended to prevent the banning of gas stoves, at least for now.
The defecting Republicans, mostly members of the House Freedom Caucus, voted with all Democrats to block Tuesday’s procedural vote 206 to 220. That means the Save Our Gas Stoves Act and the Gas Stoves Protection and Freedom Act won’t make it to a vote this week, as they had been scheduled.
Fellow conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.) explained: “Today we took down the rule because we’re frustrated at the way this place is operating.”
Gaetz added, “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.”
McCarthy could not immediately be reached for comment.
The development underscores the anger within the GOP caucus over the bipartisan debt ceiling deal, the passage of which helped avert a U.S. default. Rep. Ken Buck (R., Colo.) said in a tweet on Tuesday that McCarthy had “promised to keep spending at 2022 levels. He broke that commitment with the Biden-backed debt ceiling ‘deal.’”
At the last minute, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) changed his vote to no, which allows the procedural vote to be brought back at a later time. Still, the revolt now tosses this week’s GOP legislative agenda in the House into chaos. The gas stove bills were unlikely to pass in the Senate, even if they passed in the House.
GOP politicians have railed against the banning of gas stoves, a controversy sparked by studies that found they present potential health hazards, could exacerbate childhood asthma, and contribute to climate change.
Some Republicans have falsely claimed the Biden administration is aiming to take away the gas stoves already in people’s homes, despite the White House repeatedly insisting that it’s not.
A Consumer Product Safety Commission official in January called gas stoves a “hidden hazard” that might have to be banned, but CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said the commission wasn’t aiming to ban gas stoves. The White House said at the time that Biden “does not support banning gas stoves.”
Last month, New York became the first state to ban gas stoves in new residential buildings, when Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget included a measure requiring all-electric heating and cooking in new buildings up to seven stories tall starting in 2026, with exceptions for commercial and industrial buildings. The restriction doesn’t apply to current residences or commercial spaces.
Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com
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