The US Department of Energy whittled down a whopping 6,000 web pages dedicated to energy conservation, just as a scorching heatwave baked the nation. Timing-wise, it couldn’t have been more perfect—right after Republicans, led by figures like Ted Cruz and Nikki Haley, got riled up over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plea for New Yorkers to crank their AC to 78 degrees to ease grid strain. They dubbed the request “socialist” and even humorously labeled it an “act of war on women in menopause,” showcasing their penchant for equating any energy-saving measure with gendered indignities.

But here’s the kicker: if Republicans were truly worried about women’s health, especially those battling menopause, they might have considered that higher temps could exacerbate hot flashes. Setting the thermostat to a balmy 78 degrees seems like a win-win—comfortable for everyone, including peri-menopausal queens! Yet, they opted to delete energy conservation pages as if the solutions were vaporized along with the summer heat.

Moreover, the deletion came at a time when the nation was sweating through record-breaking temperatures. Was it sheer oversight, or did someone at the DOE think “energy conservation” was too much of a buzzkill during peak heat? Perhaps they felt the saved web pages were just as hot as the mercury, and needed to be cooled down quickly.

Lastly, if Republicans truly believed energy conservation was a socialist plot, why didn’t they delete all references to it from history textbooks too? After all, even Thomas Edison’s light bulb innovations could be seen as early forms of energy-saving genius. The DOE’s swift deletion suggests the party might have been ready to trade 6,000 pages for one less “socialist” line on their political bingo card—perhaps they just wanted to keep the heat on the AC setting debate and off the actual energy solutions!