In Washington, President Donald Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction with existing regulations that limit water flow in showerheads, making it a challenge for him to maintain his “beautiful hair.”
During his first term in office, Trump had made efforts to relax these constraints, an initiative that was subsequently overturned by former President Joe Biden.
Today, Trump is once again taking action to increase water flow. He has signed an executive order aimed at repealing water conservation standards that regulate the gallons per minute allowed for showerheads and other household appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and toilets.
“I prefer a proper shower to take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump declared at the signing of the executive order. “It takes me 15 minutes in the shower to get my hair wet with just a drip, drip, drip. It’s absurd.”
He further mentioned, “You end up washing your hands five times more than necessary, which uses the same amount of water in the end. We’re making changes so that people can live more comfortably.”
This directive instructs Energy Secretary Chris Wright to promptly dismantle what Trump has described as an “overly complicated federal rule” that was implemented during the last two Democratic presidencies.
Both Biden and former President Barack Obama had enforced restrictions aimed at reducing water usage from showerheads and other appliances, advocating for energy and water conservation.
The White House stated that these regulations had transformed simple household items into bureaucratic challenges, asserting that showerheads would no longer be “weak and ineffective.”
In contrast, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, which promotes energy efficiency, argued that the standards initiated during Biden’s era helped lower utility bills and benefit the environment.
Showers make up about 20% of an average American household’s indoor water consumption, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, water-saving showerheads contribute to energy savings, given that heating water accounts for approximately a fifth of the average home’s energy consumption.
Andrew deLaski, the executive director of ASAP, mentioned that consumer feedback shows most of today’s showerheads deliver a satisfactory experience. He implied, “There isn’t a real issue to address with the current showerheads.”
DeLaski criticized Trump’s order as a superficial move to bypass a 1992 energy efficiency law and suggested it would yield similar results to Trump’s previous actions—where major showerhead manufacturers didn’t significantly alter their products.