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H.R. 4758 House Real Bill Placed on Union Calendar, Calendar No... 119th Congress

Homeowner Energy Freedom Act

Freedom From the Rebates You Might Have Wanted

Legislative Progress Introduced Jul 25, 2025
House Origin → Both Chambers → President
House (origin)
Introduced
Committee
3
Passed House
Senate
4
Received in Senate
5
Committee
6
Passed Senate
President
President
Absurdity Index
8/10
7-8Hold My Gavel
The Gist
Hold My Gavel

The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act repeals three IRA provisions totaling $5.7 billion: the $4.5 billion High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program (heat pumps, electric stoves, insulation), $200 million in contractor training grants, and $1 billion for zero-energy building code adoption. It also rescinds any unspent funds. The bill's name frames removing rebates as 'freedom,' meaning homeowners are now 'free' to pay full price for energy-efficient appliances, 'free' from government assistance they could have claimed, and 'free' to choose between options that are now less affordable. CBO estimates about $300 million in unobligated balances would be clawed back.

Why It Matters

The IRA's home electrification rebates were designed to help low-to-moderate income households afford the upfront cost of switching to efficient electric appliances, with rebates up to $8,000 for heat pumps and $840 for electric stoves. By the time this bill was introduced, many states had already begun distributing funds and homeowners had started applying. The bill doesn't just stop future spending; it rescinds unobligated balances, potentially pulling the rug out from under programs states have already stood up. The sponsor, Rep. Goldman from Texas, also cosponsors HR 4690 (Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act), which guts federal building efficiency standards. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) introduced a Senate companion, S.333, with 8 cosponsors.

Sponsor
Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] R
Committee
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Introduced
Jul 25, 2025
Category
Energy

Party Balance

R
Primary Sponsor Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12]
Republican
Cosponsors (2 total)
R:2
Pork by Party (satirical estimates) $300.0M total
?
$300.0M (100%)

Key Milestones

11 total actions

Introduced in House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 25-21

Estimated Taxpayer Cost

$158,316

~2 hours of congressional session time at $79,158/hour

(535 members × $174k salary ÷ 147 session days ÷ 8 hours)

Simplified estimate based on salary costs only. Actual costs include staff, facilities, and lost productivity.

Satire notice: Spending figures, pork tracking, and editorial commentary below are satirical estimates for entertainment purposes. They are not official government cost analyses. Legislative history and vote records are real — verify at Congress.gov .

Pork Barrel Meter
$0
$0$100B$1T+
"Squeaky Clean"

Satirical estimate for entertainment purposes

Watch the Sausage Get Made

See how this bill transformed through 3 stages of the legislative process.

Deep Dive

All Legislative Actions 11
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by the Yeas and Nays: 16-14
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 25-21
Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-484
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 414
Related Bills 1
S. 333

Homeowner Energy Freedom Act

Companion
Text Versions 2
Reported in House
Introduced in House

What This Bill Does

The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act repeals three provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law 117-169) that fund home energy efficiency and electrification programs:

  • Section 50122 ($4.5 billion): The High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program, which provides rebates up to $8,000 for heat pumps, $840 for electric stoves, $1,750 for heat pump water heaters, and $1,600 for insulation. Targeted at low-to-moderate income households. Includes $225 million for tribal electrification.

  • Section 50123 ($200 million): State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants, which fund the workforce needed to install these systems.

  • Section 50131 ($1 billion): Assistance for building energy code adoption, including $330 million for 2021 International Energy Conservation Code adoption and $670 million for zero-energy building codes.

The bill also rescinds any unspent funds, which CBO estimates at about $300 million.

The Votes

Both the subcommittee and full committee votes were strictly party-line, with zero crossover. All votes were cast in person — proxy voting was eliminated by the House Republican majority in the 119th Congress rules package.

Energy Subcommittee (Nov 19, 2025): 16-14 Chaired by Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH-5), ranking member Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14). All 16 Republican subcommittee members present voted Yea; all 14 Democrats present voted Nay.

Full Energy and Commerce Committee (Dec 3, 2025): 25-21 Chaired by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2), ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6). The committee is composed of 30 Republicans and 24 Democrats. Of 54 total members, 46 voted (25R Yea, 21D Nay), with 5 Republicans and 3 Democrats absent. This was a slightly thinner margin than HR 4690’s 27-21, suggesting 2 additional Republicans were absent for this specific roll call. Individual member votes are documented in H. Rept. 119-484 (roll call embedded as image).

Notable: sponsor Rep. Goldman (R-TX-12) sits on this committee and also cosponsors the companion bill HR 4690. Both cosponsors — Rep. Ellzey (R-TX-6) and Rep. Crenshaw (R-TX-2) — are fellow Texas Republicans, though neither serves on E&C.

The Name

“Homeowner Energy Freedom Act” frames the removal of financial assistance as liberation. The programs being repealed are voluntary rebates: no homeowner was forced to buy a heat pump. They were simply offered help paying for one. The “freedom” in this bill’s title is the freedom to pay full price. Rep. Goldman’s press release states: “Americans should have the freedom to choose how to cook their food and heat their homes.” The IRA rebates didn’t restrict that choice; they subsidized one option. Removing the subsidy doesn’t create freedom; it removes an option’s affordability.

The Context

This bill emerged from the same Energy Subcommittee markup session that advanced eight bills targeting energy efficiency regulations, including:

  • HR 4690 (Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act): Repeals federal building efficiency standards
  • HR 4593 (SHOWER Act): Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing
  • HR 4626 (“Don’t Mess With My Home Appliances Act”): The name says it all

All party-line roll call votes split 16-14 or 17-14 in subcommittee. The sponsor, Rep. Goldman, also cosponsors HR 4690. A Senate companion (S.333) was introduced by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) with 8 cosponsors, though it has not advanced past referral to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The National Association of Home Builders endorsed the bill, claiming IRA mandates add up to $31,000 to new home costs. By the time this bill was introduced, many states had already begun distributing IRA rebate funds and accepting homeowner applications.

Source: Real bill from the 119th Congress. View on Congress.gov. Full text (reported). CBO cost estimate.

Disclaimer: The absurdity score and editorial commentary above represent this site’s opinion. Bill details should be verified at Congress.gov.

This page is satirical commentary by AbsurdityIndex.org. Legislative history comes from public congressional records; spending estimates and "pork" figures are editorial and may not reflect official cost analyses. Absurdity scores are subjective editorial ratings. Verify all claims at Congress.gov