President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to remove limitations on water pressure from showerheads, a subject he broached along the campaign trail and during his first term in the White House.
Why It Matters
Since his first presidency, Trump has hit back at various energy efficiency standards and regulations that he believes hinder household appliances as well as showers. He previously called for an end to paper straws, advocating instead for the less environmentally friendly plastic ones.
Deregulation has been a top priority of the Trump administration. In the latest order, he says that “Overregulation chokes the American economy and stifles personal freedom.”
President Donald Trump fields a question from the media in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7 in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump fields a question from the media in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7 in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
What To Know
On Wednesday, hours after implementing a 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs, Trump signed an executive order that orders the “repeal of the 13,000-word regulation defining ‘showerhead.'”
It specifically directs the secretary of energy (Chris Wright) to rescind the regulation defining “showerhead,” a change that affects how the water flow standard is enforced and removes the current limit.
The official Rapid Response 47 account posted a video of Trump speaking about the order while signing it. The caption stated: “@POTUS signs an Executive Order to end the Obama-Biden war on water pressure and Make America’s Showers Great Again.” In the video, Trump calls out long-standing water restrictions.
Minimum water efficiency standards for toilets, showerheads, faucets and urinals have been in place since the Federal Energy Policy Act was passed under President George H.W. Bush in 1992. That law required showerheads to not pour more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
Under President Barack Obama, the administration clarified that the 2.5-gallon-per-minute limit should apply to the total water flow from all nozzles in a showerhead, recognizing that many modern models include multiple spray heads. The regulations were placed in an effort to conserve water and energy resources, as well as lower utility bills.
During Trump first term, he relaxed those standards, but then President Joe Biden reinstituted them.
The White House official fact sheet on the executive action states that it “frees Americans from excessive regulations that turned a basic household item into a bureaucratic nightmare. No longer will showerheads be weak and worthless.”
The fact sheet argues that “President Trump is slashing red tape and ending Biden’s dumb war on things that work,” by altering the showerhead standard.
On Wednesday, Trump repeated comments he made on the campaign trail and during his first term, saying in the Oval Office: “In my case, I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair, and I have to stand under the shower for 15 minutes before it gets wet, it comes out drip drip drip, it’s ridiculous.”
He added: “We’re going to get Congress to memorialize just about everything we’ve done here because most of it’s common sense.”
What People Are Saying
The White House said in an X post: “President Trump signs an Executive Order to end the overregulation on water pressure and end the war on showers. Make America’s Showers Great Again!”
Representative Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, said in an X post: “Donald Trump just signed an executive order on shower head water pressure. Meanwhile the House is debating a resolution to gut Medicaid and food assistance. You literally cannot make this up.”
Tracy Alloway, journalist and cohost of the Odd Lots podcast, wrote in an X post on Wednesday: “Trade and low water pressure in showers. Only tackling the big issues. ‘No longer will showers be weak and worthless.'”
Andrew deLaski, executive director of ASAP, told the Associated Press that consumer reviews consistently show that most showerheads currently sold, “provide a great drenching. So there isn’t a problem to be solved here with the showerheads available today.”
deLaski dismissed Trump’s order as a political gimmick aimed at sidestepping a 1992 energy efficiency law, predicting it would have little real impact—much like similar efforts during Trump’s first term, when major showerhead manufacturers made no significant changes to their products.
What Happens Next?
According to the order, the repeal will go into effect 30 days after it’s published.
Updated 4/9/25, 6 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Updated 4/9/25, 7:11 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.