Rerun

recurring claim

The recurring "they're coming for your ___" warnings

You're probably here because of the Jan 2025 rerun. This is the 12th time since 2016 (archive start) this story has run. The previous rerun was Jul 2024.

About this story

A recurring claim that a party, politician or agency plans to take away or ban an everyday item: hamburgers and cows, gas stoves, cars and trucks, guns, light bulbs, dishwashers, water heaters. Fact-checkers have often found the policy behind a rerun was narrower than the claim, such as an informal FAQ about the Green New Deal, an unrelated diet study, one regulator's comment, or efficiency and emissions standards. In some cases a real ban or proposal did exist: Beto O'Rourke's 2019 mandatory assault-rifle buyback, California's 2022 rule banning sales of new gas-only cars, and the 2023 rule banning sale of common incandescent bulbs. Coverage is incomplete after early 2025.

Sources: 1, 2

20162026

Jan 2025 Gas water heaters ("Biden's gas water heater ban")

In December 2024, the Energy Department issued a final rule setting efficiency standards for gas-fired instantaneous (tankless) water heaters. Compliance begins in 2029. In early January 2025, coverage described the rule as President Biden banning natural gas water heaters. Fox News called it "Biden's gas water heater ban," and Rep. Palmer called it "a radical ban on water heaters." What the rule actually did, according to the Palm Beach Post: it required new tankless gas models to use about 13% less energy than today's least efficient tankless models; the Appliance Standards Awareness Project estimated that a little under 40% of tankless heaters now on the market would be prohibited; storage-tank water heaters remained an option.

  • palmer.house.gov article
    It's a radical ban on water heaters. Another example of government overreach under the Biden administration on their way out the door.
  • Yahoo News article
    Among the actions President Joe Biden took was to ban certain natural gas water heaters, a move many said could send prices soaring

Sources: palmer.house.gov needs a second source · Yahoo News reliable

Correction, 2026-10-23: Removed a link to the wrong Federal Register document and softened the dates to what our sources support (December 2024; compliance in 2029).

Jul 2024 – Aug 2024 "Kamala wants to outlaw red meat"

At a July 24, 2024 rally in North Carolina, Trump said, "Kamala even wants to pass laws to outlaw red meat to stop climate change." CNN rated the claim false. At a September 2019 CNN climate town hall, Harris said she loves "cheeseburgers from time to time" and supported "creating incentives" for healthy eating. Asked whether she would change the food pyramid to reduce red meat, she answered "Yes, I would." She also said food labels should include environmental impact. Yahoo News found she had never supported laws to outlaw red meat. Over the next week, Fox commentators repeated the claim, and on July 31 Trump repeated it, saying Harris would "get rid of your cows." Media Matters places the episode in a line of similar claims about the 2019 Green New Deal and a 2021 false story about Biden banning hamburgers.

  • Media Matters for America article
    Kamala even wants to pass laws to outlaw red meat to stop climate change and she is, you know what that means? That means no more cows.
  • Media Matters for America broadcast
    From the July 27, 2024, episode of Fox & Friends Weekend
  • Yahoo News article
    Nor is Harris plotting to "get rid of your cows" as Trump added on July 31 in Pennsylvania.

Sources: CNN reliable · Yahoo News reliable · Media Matters for America needs a second source · The Hill reliable

Correction, 2026-10-23: Corrected the rally location (North Carolina, not specifically Charlotte), removed an unsupported Aug. 3 date, and corrected the description of the July 31 remark: Trump repeated the claim rather than widening it, since his July 24 line already mentioned cows.

Aug 2023 Incandescent light bulbs (a real ban)

A Department of Energy rule set a minimum of 45 lumens per watt for light bulbs. That effectively ended the manufacture and sale of common incandescent bulbs, which give about 15 lumens per watt, and it took full effect on Aug. 1, 2023 (CNN, Fox Business). The rule started under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, signed by President George W. Bush. It was broadened under Obama, reversed by the Trump administration in 2019, and reinstated by the Biden Energy Department in April 2022 (CNN, Fox Business, DOE). Republican lawmakers objected: Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) tweeted "It's impossible for Democrats to leave us alone," and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) said the department should not focus on "what lightbulbs you can or can't purchase" (Fox News). Unlike earlier reruns of this story, the ban was real. But it covered only manufacture and sale, not use, and it exempted specialty bulbs such as appliance, bug and plant lights (CNN, Fox Business). The department's Aug. 11 explainer rebutted the "myth" that "the government is banning all lightbulbs" (DOE).

  • CNN article
    the rule has faced somewhat of a backlash, particularly on conservative media channels and among some Republican politicians.
  • Fox News article
    It’s impossible for Democrats to leave us alone. States must fight back
  • energy.gov statement
    Myth #1: “The government is banning all lightbulbs.”

Sources: CNN reliable · Fox News needs a second source · Fox News needs a second source · energy.gov needs a second source

May 2023 – Jul 2023 War on dishwashers

On May 5, 2023, the Energy Department proposed new dishwasher limits. Standard-size models would be capped at 223 kWh a year and 3.3 gallons per cycle. The current limits are 307 kWh and 5.0 gallons, measured under an older test method. Critics called this a "war" or "attack" on dishwashers, part of a wider campaign against household appliances. Sen. Kennedy, for example, listed microwaves, ovens, refrigerators and other appliances in the same speech. The proposal didn't ban dishwashers or remove them from sale; it set efficiency limits for new machines. By the Energy Department's own estimate, a standard-size buyer would save $17 on average over the machine's life and recover the extra cost in 2.4 years.

  • reason.com article
    the Biden administration has proposed strict new energy efficiency rules for dishwashers.
  • kennedy.senate.gov statement
    It's only going to make the American people have to spend more money on less efficient machines.
  • republicanpolicy.house.gov statement
    This proposed rule is just the next in the firing line of the Biden administration's war on American households.
  • youtube.com video

Sources: federalregister.gov needs a second source · reason.com needs a second source · Fox News needs a second source · kennedy.senate.gov needs a second source

Jan 2023 Gas stoves, January 2023

On Jan. 9, 2023, Bloomberg quoted CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.: "This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can't be made safe can be banned." Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) tweeted on Jan. 10 that if the White House came for his stove, "they can pry it from my cold dead hands." His Jan. 11 fundraising appeal said "Biden and Democrats want to BAN gas stoves in EVERY home! INCLUDING YOURS!" What was actually on the table was much narrower. A Dec. 21 letter from Democratic lawmakers asked the CPSC for performance standards, range hoods, labeling and a public education campaign; FactCheck notes that none of these requests was a ban. Trumka tweeted on Jan. 9 that the CPSC "isn't coming for anyone's gas stoves" and that regulations would apply only to new products. On Jan. 11, CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said he was "not looking to ban gas stoves" and that the CPSC "has no proceeding to do so." A White House spokesman said the same day that the President did not support a ban.

  • Bloomberg article
    This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can't be made safe can be banned.
  • perma.cc social post
    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!!
  • perma.cc statement
    Our stoves are at risk! … Biden and Democrats want to BAN gas stoves in EVERY home! INCLUDING YOURS!

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · factcheck.org reliable

Aug 2022 – Sep 2022 California's 2035 rule on new gas car sales ("gas car ban")

On Aug. 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to approve its Advanced Clean Cars II rules. They require 35% of new vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission starting with the 2026 model year, with a 68% goal for 2030 and 100% by 2035 (Washington Times, NBC). Major outlets described the rule as a ban on selling new gas cars. Critics went further: Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) said regulators were telling people what they can buy and own, and a fuel-industry group warned the "ban" could reach other states (Washington Times). What the rule actually does is narrower: it covers only new-car sales. Drivers can keep and drive gas cars and buy or sell used ones, and some new hybrid gas-electric cars still count (NBC, Washington Times).

  • NBC News article
    California regulators voted Thursday to ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035
  • The Washington Times article
    Unelected bureaucrats don’t get to tell people what they can and can’t buy
  • fox5ny.com article
    urged not to recharge their electric vehicles during certain hours due to stress on the power grid

Sources: NBC News reliable · The Washington Times needs a second source · NPR reliable · cbsnews.com reliable

Oct 2021 California gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers (AB 1346)

On October 9, 2021, Newsom signed AB 1346. It tells the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to require new small off-road engines, the kind in lawn mowers and leaf blowers, to be zero-emission. That applies from January 1, 2024, or whenever CARB decides it is "feasible," whichever is later. New portable generators get a 2028 target. The bill's author, Marc Berman, says in his fact sheet that the bill "does not affect equipment already owned or purchased before the rules take effect." So the law restricts sales of new gas equipment; it doesn't take away equipment people already own. National outlets, including The Hill and the Washington Post, covered it as a ban on new gas lawn equipment. The criticism came from a landscaping trade group, from unnamed lawmakers in both parties (as reported by The Hill, citing the LA Times), and from a CalMatters columnist.

  • The Hill article
    signed a bill on Saturday that moves to ban gas-powered lawn equipment in the state
  • The Washington Post article
    We are not trying to say we want gas powered equipment forever. We get it, [electric is] coming,
  • calmatters.org article
    did they ever consider that they are messing with people's livelihoods and lives?

Sources: The Hill reliable · The Washington Post reliable · berman.asmdc.org needs a second source · calmatters.org needs a second source

Correction, 2026-10-23: Removed an unsupported description of the coverage as calling California the "first state" to phase out gas lawn equipment.

Apr 2021 Biden burger ban

On April 22, 2021, Biden pledged to cut US greenhouse gas emissions 50% to 52% below 2005 levels by 2030. He didn't mention red meat. He mostly talked about upgrading the power grid and shifting to electric vehicles. Starting April 23, Fox News and Fox Business hosts and graphics said the plan would mean cutting 90% of red meat from Americans' diets, down to "one burger per month," and Republican officials repeated the claim. The claim came from a Daily Mail article that tied Biden's goal to an unrelated January 2020 University of Michigan study. A White House official told PolitiFact the plans included no limits on red meat. The Washington Post compared it to 2019 claims that the Green New Deal would "take away your hamburgers," which is the same item from an earlier rerun of this story.

  • web.archive.org article
    Americans may have to cut their red meat consumption by a whopping 90%
  • statesman.com article
    No burger on July 4. No steaks on the barbecue.
  • PolitiFact article
    He wants control of your life. He's going to control how much meat you can eat.

Sources: PolitiFact reliable · statesman.com needs a second source · The Washington Post reliable · Snopes reliable

Correction, 2026-10-23: Replaced a Fox News video link that no longer shows the clip with PolitiFact's report quoting Rep. McCarthy.

Sep 2020 Trump rally claims that Biden would "confiscate your guns" and that "cows are out" under the Green New Deal

At a Sept. 8, 2020 rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., Trump said Biden wants to "confiscate your guns." At rallies on Sept. 26–27 he said "Biden wants to confiscate your guns." FactCheck.org reported that Biden's plan would ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and create a voluntary buyback. Current owners could either sell the weapons to the government or register them under the National Firearms Act, and Biden never adopted a mandatory buyback. At a Sept. 17 rally in Mosinee, Wis., Trump said that under the Green New Deal "cows are out." PolitiFact rated that False: the resolution's text does not mention cows, and a supporting document that was later taken down had said "we aren't sure we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes."

  • presidency.ucsb.edu statement
    Biden wants to impose a four trillion-dollar tax hike, a ban on American energy, eliminate America's borders, confiscate your guns.
  • presidency.ucsb.edu statement
    Now, remember her when they explained to her that planes are out, cows are out. Cows, they don't want cattle, they don't want cows.
  • factcheck.org article
    Biden wants to confiscate your guns and indoctrinate your children with poisonous anti-American lies in schools, right?
  • c-span.org video Watch
    Biden wants to impose a four trillion-dollar tax hike, a ban on American energy, eliminate America's borders, confiscate your guns.

Sources: CNN reliable · factcheck.org reliable · PolitiFact reliable · PolitiFact reliable

Correction, 2026-10-23: The Sept. 26 Middletown, Pa., location was not supported by our sources; the line is attributed to Trump's rallies that weekend.

Dec 2019 Toilets, showers and sinks

At a White House roundtable on "small business and red tape reduction" on Dec. 6, 2019, Trump said people were "flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once." He also said the EPA was "looking at that very strongly, at my suggestion," and that his administration was "looking at changing the standards very soon." Snopes says he appeared to mean federal rules signed in 1992 (toilets) and 1994 (showers) that capped how much water new fixtures could use. In this variant the item hasn't been banned or threatened. The claim is that existing efficiency rules had already made it worse, and the remedy offered was rolling them back.

  • trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov statement
    People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once.
  • x.com social post
    Here's Trump saying that he's heard from many people complaining about "flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times."

Sources: trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov reliable · The Hill reliable · Snopes reliable · grist.org needs a second source

Sep 2019 "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15"

For decades, gun-rights groups had warned that Democrats were "coming to take your guns away," as NBC puts it. At the third Democratic primary debate on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, moderator David Muir asked Beto O'Rourke whether he was proposing to take away people's guns. O'Rourke answered, "Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47." What he had actually proposed, in his Aug. 16, 2019 plan, was a mandatory buyback of assault weapons, a voluntary buyback of handguns, and fines for people who didn't take part. The next day he said on MSNBC that enforcement would not mean going "door to door searching people's homes." According to AP, President Trump said the same night that "Democrats want to confiscate guns from law-abiding Americans." Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) predicted the clip would be "played for years at Second Amendment rallies."

  • NPR article
    Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.
  • seattletimes.com article
    On Friday, his campaign hawked T-shirts emblazoned with his debate vow.
  • NBC News article
    A Texas state lawmaker tweeted at O’Rourke "My AR is ready for you,"
  • youtube.com video
    Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.

Sources: NBC News reliable · NPR reliable · seattletimes.com needs a second source · upi.com needs a second source

Correction, 2026-10-23: Removed an unsourced reference to the debate's network, and attributed the long-running warning to gun-rights groups over decades, as NBC reports.

Feb 2019 – Mar 2019 Green New Deal "cows, planes and hamburgers"

Starting Feb. 9, 2019, President Trump said the Green New Deal would eliminate planes, cars and cows. At a Feb. 11 rally he said that under it "you're not allowed to own cows anymore." On Feb. 28, Sebastian Gorka told CPAC that its backers want to take away "your hamburgers." FactCheck.org and the AP found that the resolution is nonbinding and bans none of these things. On agriculture, it only calls for working with farmers and ranchers to cut emissions "as much as is technologically feasible." The AP and FactCheck.org trace the cows and planes language to the withdrawn FAQ from Ocasio-Cortez's office, not the resolution itself.

  • x.com social post
    permanently eliminate all Planes, Cars, Cows, Oil, Gas & the Military
  • cnbc.com article
    of 'let's hop a train to California,' of you're not allowed to own cows anymore!
  • HuffPost article
    they want to take away your hamburgers

Sources: staradvertiser.com needs a second source · factcheck.org reliable · The Washington Post reliable · cnbc.com reliable