President Donald Trump has announced a reversal of energy efficiency standards from the Biden era that the Obama administration initially implemented. He intended to reinstate incandescent light bulbs and restore previous water pressure regulations. Trump has been vocal about opposing the ban on incandescent light bulbs, calling it "ridiculous" and arguing that it restricts consumer choice. The initiative seeks to provide consumers with more options and lessen government-imposed restrictions.
"I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on light bulbs, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe. I look forward to signing these Orders. THANK YOU!!!" Trump wrote on X.
This week, Trump declared he would roll back the water pressure and incandescent light bulbs ban, instruct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Lee Zeldin, and immediately return to the “common sense” standards of Trump’s Environmental Orders that he implemented during his first term.
According to Trump, Americans prefer incandescent bulbs for their quality of light, convenience, and affordability. He often cited the ban as an example of unnecessary government regulation that infringes on personal freedom. In 2019, during his first term, Trump announced that the Department of Energy would lift the ban and allow the continued sale of incandescent bulbs. The regulation on light bulbs was established in 2007 with the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act. However, during his first term, Trump suspended the rule's implementation.
He joked that “you look better with incandescent lights” and that “of course being a vain person, that’s very important to me.”
During his administration, President Joe Biden reversed a regulation enacted under the first Trump administration that allowed for increased water flow through shower heads. In 2020, Trump humorously remarked that he had worked to ease the water pressure standards because he needed his hair to look “perfect."
He argued that the regulations were unnecessary and ineffective, suggesting they resulted from overregulation. His administration sought to reduce water flow restrictions to improve consumers' experiences with everyday products like shower heads and toilets.
At the same time, Zeldin said he was working to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.
In a social media post, Zeldin ridiculed the Biden EPA for handing out $20 billion of “gold bars off the Titanic" and revoking the Greenhouse Gas Reduction fund, dubbed the "green bank," that is set to fund thousands of projects to combat so-called climate change. Republicans describe the "green bank" as the "slush fund," arguing that the money would be used for insufficient accountability with a lack of transparency. Two initiatives, totaling $14 billion and $6 billion, aim to provide competitive grants to nonprofits, community development banks, and other groups for projects benefiting disadvantaged communities.
🚨The Biden EPA tossed $20 billion of “gold bars off the Titanic”.
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) February 13, 2025
BIG UPDATE! We found the gold bars and they are now being recovered for you, the hardworking American taxpayer.
Here are more of the details: pic.twitter.com/DM4C0TQcpj