OPINION:
As a former chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ve seen firsthand how the right federal policies can unleash American innovation and benefit American workers and consumers alike. I have also seen bad policies, even with the best of intentions, lead to stifling our economy or inadvertently giving foreign adversaries the upper hand.
I worry that a new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency, with the stated goal of deregulation, may fall in the latter camp.
For decades, countries such as China have sought to abuse our markets, steal our intellectual property and subvert our laws to flood our country with illegal goods, including drugs and counterfeits of American products. In President Trump, we finally have a commander in chief standing up for American industry on trade and industrial policy.
At issue now is a statutorily mandated review of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act. This bipartisan law, signed by Mr. Trump during his first term, was designed to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and help American companies lead the world in the next generation of cooling technology for homes, cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductor manufacturing.
The EPA is considering whether to delay the deadline and reduce the efficiency requirements for supermarkets to shift to newer, cleaner cooling systems under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act’s technology transition rule. The agency is proposing a five-year delay, pushing the transition from 2027 to 2032.
The EPA says the industry needs more time because of local permitting, training needs and equipment availability. These concerns are real and are being addressed by the industry, which has been partnering with refrigerant producers and equipment manufacturers on the transition. They have been planning for this shift and will be ready much sooner than 2032.
A potentially larger concern is that by extending the deadline, the EPA could inadvertently create a surge in demand for older refrigerants that domestic suppliers, which have already pivoted to next-generation products, can no longer meet. When supply falls short, families will pay the price in higher energy and grocery costs.
That’s not the only risk. History tells us what happens when a gap is created in the market: China steps in.
Chinese state-owned companies have repeatedly tried to flood the U.S. market with lower-quality, cut-rate or intentionally mislabeled refrigerants, often brought in through illegal or barely regulated channels. They undercut American manufacturers that play by the rules and destabilize the market with products that may not even meet our safety standards. This comes at the expense of American workers and consumers.
If the EPA extends the transition without allowing American companies, which have all invested in moving to next-generation products, to produce enough refrigerant, it will create the perfect opening for China to exploit. Prices will spike, shortages will grow, and Chinese suppliers, many of which are directed or owned by the Chinese Communist Party, will move in to fill the gap. That is the exact opposite of what the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act was enacted by Mr. Trump to do.
That is not how we revive American manufacturing. That is not how we lower prices for American consumers, and it is certainly not how we reduce our dependence on China.
Republicans have long championed policies that make America more competitive: empowering domestic manufacturing, eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens, driving down consumer costs and countering China’s unfair trade practices. Getting this issue right advances all four goals at once. It keeps American innovation in the driver’s seat while protecting everyday families from higher prices and supply chain shocks.
Now is our chance to ensure the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act works as intended. By listening to grocery chains and American manufacturers working together, the EPA can chart a path that secures our economic future, strengthens our manufacturing base and keeps China from undercutting technologies America invented in our own marketplace.
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers served as a member of Congress from 2005 to 2025. She chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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