11 April—Even Donald Trump can do the right thing. Even if it’s for the wrong—in this case personal, it would appear—reasons. A couple of days ago he issued an executive order repealing typical Biden (and, one might say, Democrat) over-regulation, in this instance about plumbing. Trump wants to go back to a Bush 41 1992 law that limited showerhead pressure to 2.5 gallons per minute. Since that arbitrarily and ridiculously low pressure limit itself was commonly and sensibly dodged by the installation of multiple showerheads, the Obama over-regulators in 2013 specified that the 2.5 gpm limit applied collectively. Trump reversed that in 2020.

Who ever knew about any of that stupid plumbing over-regulation anyway?

Trump likes “to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair. I have to stand under the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet,” he lamented. “It comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.” (What’s he talking about, getting wet and dripping? The proximate antecedent isn’t all that clear.)

Anyway, right on Donald! So here’s the solution:

MAINTAINING ACCEPTABLE WATER PRESSURE IN SHOWERHEADS

Executive Orders
April 9, 2025

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. Overregulation chokes the American economy and stifles personal freedom. A small but meaningful example is the Obama-Biden war on showers: Twice in the last 12 years, those administrations promulgated multi-thousand-word regulations defining the word “showerhead.” See Energy Conservation Program: Definition of Showerhead, 86 Fed. Reg. 71797 (December 20, 2021); Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Test Procedures for Showerheads, Faucets, Water Closets, Urinals, and Commercial Prerinse Spray Valves, 78 Fed. Reg. 62970 (October 23, 2013). To the extent any definition is necessary for this common piece of hardware, the Oxford English Dictionary defines “showerhead” in one short sentence.

Sec. 2. Ordering the Repeal of the 13,000-Word Regulation Defining “Showerhead”. I hereby direct the Secretary of Energy to publish in the Federal Register a notice rescinding Energy Conservation Program: Definition of Showerhead, 86 Fed. Reg. 71797 (December 20, 2021), including the definition of “showerhead” codified at 10 C.F.R. 430.2. Notice and comment is unnecessary because I am ordering the repeal. The rescission shall be effective 30 days from the date of publication of the notice.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 9, 2025.

Of course, the executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, [ASAP!] which advocates for what it considers efficiency standards, said Trump’s order is aimed at a problem that doesn’t exist. [The real problem is 2.5 gpm. Believe it.] And other critics claim the executive order is illegal. We’d flush them all down the toilet. But that would take two or three flushes with water-saving toilets . . .