U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a bill in May 2025 which he called The LIT Act, designed to “bring back” traditional light bulbs to American consumers.
More than a year later, the bill received a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Lee chairs, and the MAGA-aligned senator had the Department of Energy’s Associate Deputy Secretary Alex Fitzsimmons testify about the subject.
Fitzsimmons told Lee at the hearing, “First of all, The LIT Act is a fantastic name, but it contains even more important principle, which is, as you pointed out, consumer choice.”
Lee said LIT stands for the Liberation of Incandescent Technology, and that his bill “would repeal the standard that has effectively banned the incandescent light bulb from the marketplace in the United States.”
[NOTE: While standard incandescent light bulbs are largely prohibited from being manufactured in the U.S., Americans can still buy some specialty incandescent light bulbs, including appliance, colored, three-way, and heat lamp bulbs which are exempt from the federal standard.]
The Biden administration banned the manufacture of most traditional incandescent light bulbs in 2022.
My LIT Act brings them back.
Should the government be able to pick and choose which household products you’re allowed to buy?
Would you like to buy a traditional light bulb? pic.twitter.com/WY0cb6te0S
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) September 16, 2026
After the hearing, Lee shared the video and wrote on social media: “The Biden administration banned the manufacture of most traditional incandescent light bulbs in 2022. My LIT Act brings them back. Should the government be able to pick and choose which household products you’re allowed to buy? Would you like to buy a traditional light bulb?”
While some X users replied to Lee affirmatively, others responded with sarcasm, including one who wrote, “Oh whoa. This was definitely my greatest concern ATM. Thanks so much for spending your precious time on this issue rather than wars, inflation or AI safety. Whew.”
[NOTE: In 2022, the Biden administration’s DOE issued a rule requiring the minimum standard efficiency of 45 lumens per watt, and, according to CNBC reporting, said “the sale of the more energy-efficient light bulbs will save consumers nearly $3 billion per year on their utility bills, and cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.”]
The legislative path to “lighting energy efficiency” began in 2007 when President George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which “set higher energy efficiency standards that ultimately led to the phase-out of traditional incandescent light bulbs.”