Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was mocked online Wednesday after an image emerged of her using a gas stove purportedly in her residence after she previously stated that exposure to gas stoves could cause cognitive issues.
Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr remarked in a Monday interview with Bloomberg that gas stoves present a “hidden hazard” and said “any option is on the table” for banning the appliances.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a former White House physician, responded on Tuesday: “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,” he said. “COME AND TAKE IT!!”
AOC responded, “Did you know that ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance[?]”
Did you know that ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance https://t.co/1bjmHqnHVa
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 11, 2023
However, a screenshot emerged Wednesday of a video that Ocasio-Cortez posted on Instagram of her cooking in what appears to be her kitchen using a gas stove.
“@aoc says gas stoves cause ‘reduced cognitive performance’ – yet she uses a gas stove?” Jackson wrote. “Is this a self diagnosis? 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!”
.@aoc says gas stoves cause “reduced cognitive performance” – yet she uses a gas stove? Is this a self diagnosis? 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! pic.twitter.com/yYF90wXiGu
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) January 11, 2023
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) proposed legislation on Wednesday barring the federal government from banning stoves powered by natural gas.
“The last thing Americans need or want is another big government bureaucratic decision telling us which appliance we can have in our home,” Huizenga said in a press release. “The STOVE Act is a common-sense measure that will stop bureaucrats from banning gas stoves or ranges. Americans should have the ability to choose the most affordable and most available way to cook food in their own home. It is absolutely ridiculous how out of control and out of touch the nanny state in Washington has become.”
Some 38% of American households use gas stoves for cooking, with the figure approaching 70% for states such as California and New Jersey, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.
The legislation says no federal agency “may propose, implement, or finalize a rule or guidance that restricts or bans the use and purchase of gas-powered stoves, cooktops, ranges, or ovens” in the United States. Introduction of the bill follows a statement from CPSC Chairman Alex Hoehn-Saric clarifying that neither he nor the agency is planning to ban gas stoves after the comments from Trumka, an appointee of President Joe Biden and the son of former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, garnered nationwide controversy.