Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Republicans on Thursday evening for their ‘meltdown’ over a report that President Joe Biden was considering banning gas stoves.
‘I do think it’s funny that, like, absolute utter Republican meltdown where they’re like you can take my gas stove out of my cold dead hands,’ she said in a video she posted to her Instagram stories.
The White House said on Thursday that the president wasn’t considering such a move. The frenzy started after Bloomberg reported on Monday that such a ban was on the table, quoting the Biden-appointed Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. calling the household appliance a ‘hidden hazard,’ with new research linking gas stoves to childhood asthma.
Republicans blew up, with some saying the administration can take gas stoves ‘from my cold dead hands.’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Republicans for their ‘meltdown’ over a report that President Joe Biden was considering banning gas stoves
Ocasio-Cortez, earlier this week, defended the science and pointed out that ‘ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance.’
That led Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson to lash out at her – and he shared a photo of the New York congresswoman’s gas stove.
‘AOC says gas stoves cause “reduced cognitive performance” – yet she uses a gas stove? Is this a self diagnosis?’ Jackson tweeted. ‘AOC, as a medical doctor, I can tell you this: what’s wrong with your head IS NOT caused by stoves. Something WAY BIGGER is causing your decreased cognitive function!’
Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on that, noting she has a gas stove because she rents an apartment.
‘I rent. Period,’ she said in the Instagram story. ‘There is very concerning science about some of the emissions from gas stoves, especially around the cognitive development of young children, asthma, cancer, etc.’
She also said there would be no immediate ban on the gas stove.
‘This is about a decision about what may be sold and regulations in the far future. Okay, so everyone just take the temperature down a little bit. No secret government agency is gonna bust down your door and take your gas stove away,’ she added.
Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson said the federal government would have to ‘pry’ his gas stove ‘from my cold dead hands’
When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that ‘ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance,’ Jackson lashed out at her – and shared a photo of the New York congresswoman’s gas stove
Additionally, a number of Republicans pointed to a 2020 tweet showing Dr. Jill Biden cooking veggies over gas.
‘Rules for thee but not for me,’ tweeted Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, sharing the picture of the first lady.
Jackson, a former White House doctor, said he’d rather die than cook with electric.
‘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!!’ Jackson said.
Jackson even went as far to set up a URL – SaveTheStoves.com – that links to a WinRed donation page, which asks visitors to sign a petition, but also signs them up for texts and calls from Jackson’s Congressional campaign.
‘We can’t let the maniacs in the White House get away with this! Add your name now to the official petition to SAVE OUR STOVES!!’ the website says.
Four in every 10 American homes has a natural gas stove.
Even before the White House announced Biden was not considering a ban, the Consumer Product Safety Commission was already trying to walk Trumka’s comments back.
Trumka set off a fury when he called gas stoves a ‘hidden hazard.’
He added that ‘any option is on the table’ and ‘products that can’t be made safe can be banned.’
The agency could also elect to set standards on emissions for gas stoves.
But Trumka walked his own comments back.
‘To be clear, CPSC isn’t coming for anyone’s gas stoves. Regulations apply to new products,’ Trumka tweeted Monday afternoon.
Alex Hoehn-Saric, the chair of the commission, reiterated that point Wednesday morning, saying in a statement that the independent agency was ‘not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.’
‘CPSC is researching gas emissions in stoves and exploring new ways to address health risks. CPSC also is actively engage in strengthening voluntary safety standards for gas stoves. And later this spring, we will be asking the public to provide us with information about gas stove emissions and potential solutions for reducing any associated risks,’ he said.
A number of Republicans shared this 2020 tweet from first lady Jill Biden that showed her cooking vegetables over a gas stove
A new study that found that roughly one in eight cases of childhood asthma in the US are the result of air pollution given off by gas stoves.
This puts emissions from gas cooking at the same asthma risk level as breathing in secondhand smoke.
Asthma affects roughly six million US children each year and nearly 13 percent of them get it from breathing in the myriad toxins that a gas stove belches out every day.
