Household Appliances Are Back in the Post-President Autopen Era

Former President Autopen waged war on household appliances. This administration is undoing the damage.

The U.S. Senate voted 53-44 on Thursday to undo a Biden-era rule and eliminate energy efficiency standards for new gas tankless water heaters. The House passed the measure in February.

The American Gas Association celebrated the Senate vote, saying Biden’s water heater rules had banned the sale of the instantaneous, gas-fired appliances. Gas industry officials called the vote “a victory for working-class Americans.”

Democrats claimed it saves money based on future statistics that cannot be proven or disproven.

With the president’s approval, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to undo recently passed regulations. The CRA is most commonly used at the start of a new administration to undo regulations issued at the end of the last administration.

President Donald Trump signed four bills on Friday that rolled back Biden-era regulations on appliances like water heaters, refrigerators, walk-in coolers, and household appliances.

H.J.R. 20 rolls back regulations on consumer gas-powered water heaters.

H.J.R. 24 rolls back regulations the Biden administration placed on “walk-in coolers and freezers and other refrigeration devices,” which negatively impact everyday Americans.

H.J.R. 42 rescinds an energy conservation regulation on household appliances.

H.J.R. 75 rescinds a regulation on “energy standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers.”

Trump also signed an executive order Friday to roll back rules that limit water use on household appliances like showerheads and faucets.

“It’s all about common sense,” Trump said.