Passed
210 Yea199 Nay23 Not voting1/2 required
HR-4758-119
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sponsored by Craig Goldman (R-TX)
What it does
This bill would repeal three programs created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169): (1) the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program (HEEHRA), which provided rebates to homeowners for purchasing electric appliances and making electrical upgrades; (2) a grant program funding state-based training for home energy efficiency contractors; and (3) a grant program assisting states with adopting the latest building energy codes. It would also rescind any unspent funds already appropriated for the rebate and building code programs.
Who benefits
Federal taxpayers broadly, to the extent that rescinding unobligated funds reduces federal spending. Natural gas appliance manufacturers and retailers who compete with electric alternatives. Propane and heating oil suppliers whose customers might have switched to electric systems. Homeowners who prefer fossil-fuel-based appliances and would no longer face a policy environment that financially incentivizes switching. States that objected to federal influence over their building codes.
Who is hurt
Homeowners who had planned to apply for or were in the process of receiving HEEHRA rebates for electric appliances (heat pumps, electric stoves, EV chargers, etc.). Low- and moderate-income households, who were the primary target population for HEEHRA rebates and may have fewer alternative resources to fund efficiency upgrades. Electrical contractors and HVAC technicians who would have benefited from the training grant program. State energy offices that had begun building out program infrastructure. Manufacturers and retailers of high-efficiency electric appliances who anticipated increased demand from the rebate program. States that had begun the process of adopting updated building energy codes with federal assistance.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the HEEHRA program and related grants represent federal overreach into personal home energy choices, effectively subsidizing a preference for electric appliances over natural gas at taxpayer expense. They contend that the programs distort the energy market by artificially tilting consumer decisions toward electrification, and that rescinding unobligated funds — money not yet spent — is a fiscally responsible step that reduces the federal deficit without disrupting services already delivered.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that repealing these programs eliminates targeted assistance that was specifically designed to help low- and moderate-income households afford energy-efficient upgrades that reduce utility bills over time. They contend that states and contractors have already invested in program infrastructure in reliance on these funds, and that abrupt rescission strands those investments, disrupts state planning, and removes a tool for reducing household energy costs and building-sector energy consumption.
Constitutional context
Congress has broad authority under the Spending Clause (Art. I, §8) to appropriate and rescind federal funds, and this bill exercises that authority directly. No significant constitutional tension is raised — repealing a spending program is a straightforward legislative act within Congress's core powers. The bill does not raise major questions doctrine concerns because it reduces, rather than expands, agency authority.
Checks and balances
Congress reclaims spending authority by repealing the programs; the Executive Branch (DOE) loses discretionary grant and rebate administration power; no new agency authority is created, and the rescission of unobligated funds is self-executing upon enactment.
Historical precedent
Congress has previously rescinded unspent appropriations from major spending laws, including portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, though full repeal of a named rebate program of this scale is less common.
Passed