Vice President Kamala Harris faced social media backlash for a Thanksgiving post showcasing her and her second husband, Doug Emhoff, posing next to a gas stove.
This raised eyebrows due to the contradiction with the Biden administration’s prior suggestion to ban gas stoves, citing health concerns associated with their use.
“Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours,” Harris shared on social media. The presence of a gas stove in the photo did not escape notice. Several conservative figures, including Georgia Representative Mike Collins and former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, remarked on the gas stove featured in the picture.
Collins responded, “Is that a gas stove?”
Earlier, the Biden administration had hinted at the possibility of banning gas stoves. Richard Trumka Jr., the leading figure at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, conveyed to Bloomberg, “A ban on gas stoves is on the table.
This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” Trumka later clarified that the ban would apply only to new products, not existing ones.
Subsequently, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed regulations imposing rigorous energy efficiency standards for gas stoves. The House of Representatives, with support from several Democrats, approved an amendment preventing the DOE from implementing these new regulations.
Alabama Representative Gary Palmer proposed the amendment as part of a broader energy policy bill, and it passed with a vote of 251 to 181, with 29 Democrats aligning with the Republicans.
Approximately 40 million American households, or about 38%, use natural gas for cooking. There was no response from the White House or the vice president’s office to requests for comment on this issue.
