President Joe Biden’s Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. insisted Wednesday he was not planning to ban gas stoves, despite calling it a “real possibility” just three weeks ago.
“To be clear, CPSC isn’t coming for anyone’s gas stoves,” Trumka wrote on social media in reaction to the backlash sparked by a possible ban.
But that’s not the message Trumka sent last month when warning Americans about the dangers of the popular kitchen item.
“We need to be talking about regulating gas stoves, whether that’s drastically improving emissions or banning gas stoves entirely,” Trumka said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In that article, Trumka specifically endorsed the idea as a “powerful tool” to lower hazardous air pollutants.
“I think we ought to keep that possibility of a ban in mind because it’s a powerful tool in our tool belt and it’s a real possibility here,” Trumka added.
Trumka also floated the idea of a ban in an interview with Bloomberg News.
“Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” he said.
The Biden Administration is considering a ban on gas stoves in the U.S. over concerns about alleged harmful air pollutants being released from the appliances, according to a report. https://t.co/FJbapzLNwD
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 11, 2023
The Biden administration tried to walk back the idea of a ban after significant backlash from Americans.
“The president does not support banning gas stoves and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during the daily White House press briefing on Wednesday.
She also cited a statement from Product Safety Commission chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric.
“[T]o be clear, I’m not looking to ban gas stoves, and the CPSC has no proceeding — has no proceedings to do so,” he said.
But news of a possible ban spread quickly online, prompting outrage from Republican lawmakers.
“I’ll NEVER give up my gas stove,” Congressman Ronny Jackson from Texas wrote on social media. “If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!”
I’ll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) January 10, 2023
“Gas stoves for me but not for thee,” wrote the popular account Libs of TikTok, sharing photos of Democrats with gas stoves in their homes.
Gas stoves for me but not for thee pic.twitter.com/UrXzzlfziQ
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 11, 2023
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