U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to roll back federal regulations that limit water flow in household showers, declaring his intent to “make America’s showers great again.”
The water-saving limits were initially introduced during the Obama and Biden administrations to promote efficiency and environmental conservation. While their focus was on reducing waste, Trump’s new directive, according to a White House fact sheet, aims to restore water pressure and give Americans more control over their appliances.
The rule, first established under President Obama, capped the total water flow from multi-nozzle showerheads at 2.5 gallons (9.5 litres) per minute. This applied to all nozzles combined, not individually. Trump’s revised order instructs the U.S. Secretary of Energy to return to the original interpretation of the 1992 Energy Policy Act, allowing each individual nozzle to release up to 2.5 gallons per minute.
Criticising the current restrictions as part of a “radical green agenda,” Trump said they result in low water pressure that makes basic tasks—like washing hair—more difficult. “You turn on the shower—if you’re like me, you can’t wash your beautiful hair properly,” he said while signing the executive order in the Oval Office.
The White House described the move as lifting “excessive regulations that turned a basic household item into a bureaucratic nightmare,” with a fact sheet stating: “No longer will showerheads be weak and worthless.”
However, environmental and consumer groups raised concerns. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) warned that rolling back such efficiency standards could lead to more water and energy usage, higher utility bills, and negative impacts on the environment.
President Joe Biden had previously reversed Trump’s 2020 attempt to relax the rule, reinstating the stricter interpretation. His administration has supported conservation efforts and called the rollback unnecessary and wasteful.
Despite the criticism, Trump defended the change as a matter of personal choice. “People pay for their own water and should be free to decide how much pressure they want in their homes,” he said.
The executive order will take effect 30 days after the Department of Energy publishes a formal notice rescinding the previous definition.
