Trump Signs 4 Bills Killing Biden Appliance Rules: Gas Water Heaters, Refrigerators, Freezers — “300 Georgian Jobs Saved”; 4-5 Trade Deals Coming

President Trump signed four bills in May 2025 rescinding Biden-era regulations on appliances and consumer products. “In the closing days of the Biden administration, they pushed through a large number of rules and regulations that really hurt ordinary Americans, including in their own homes,” Trump said. The bills repealed rules on consumer gas water heaters (saving “300 Georgian jobs”), commercial refrigerators and freezers, and household appliances. Trump also previewed coming trade action: “You have a baseline of a minimum of 10%, and some will be much higher — 40%, 50%, 60%. We had a wonderful deal yesterday. We have four or five other deals coming immediately.” He promised an executive order on sinks and shower heads “later this afternoon.”

Four Bills, One Theme

Trump opened the signing ceremony by framing the four bills as a package.

“We have four bills for your attention today,” Trump said. “These are bills that have been passed by Congress.”

He described the context: “In the closing days of the Biden administration, they pushed through a large number of rules and regulations that really hurt ordinary Americans, including in their own homes.”

The common thread — Biden-era regulations imposed at the end of his term that affected consumer choice and manufacturing — connected the four separate bills into a coherent legislative agenda. Each bill used the Congressional Review Act to formally rescind a specific regulation, permanently removing the rule from the federal register.

Gas Water Heaters

The first bill addressed consumer gas water heaters.

“This is HJR 20,” Trump announced. “This is a bill that repeals Biden-era regulations relating to consumer water heaters, consumer gas-fired water heaters.”

Rep. Brian Jack explained the local impact: “This bill specifically saves a factory in my district. 300 Georgians will continue to have their jobs as soon as you sign that.”

Another member revealed the timing: “Mr. President, this rule was issued on Christmas Eve, thinking that we wouldn’t be keeping up with what the Biden administration was doing. But we moved quickly to get this rule.”

Trump reacted with incredulity: “Banning natural gas. Isn’t that ridiculous? And how are you supposed to get your heat then? Through electric? Crazy.”

He confirmed: “300 workers saved because of you. Good. Thank you.”

The gas water heater regulation had been one of the most consumer-unfriendly policies of the Biden era. Natural gas water heaters were generally cheaper to operate, more reliable in power outages, and preferred by a significant portion of American homeowners — particularly in cold-weather regions where electric heating was expensive and unreliable. The Biden rule had effectively banned new installations, forcing consumers toward electric alternatives that provided worse performance at higher cost.

The Christmas Eve timing was particularly damning. The Biden administration had attempted to finalize controversial regulations during the holiday period specifically to avoid scrutiny. Congress had caught the regulation anyway and used the CRA to reverse it before its formal implementation.

Trade Deal Preview

Trump pivoted to trade policy during the signing.

“You are going to always have a baseline,” Trump said. “There could be an exception at some point — we’ll see. Somebody does something exceptional for us. That’s always possible.”

He stated the minimum: “But basically, you have a baseline of a minimum of 10%. And some of them will be much higher — 40%, 50%, 60% — as they’ve been doing to us over the years.”

He announced progress: “We had a wonderful deal yesterday” (referring to the UK deal). “We have four or five other deals coming immediately. We have many deals coming down the line.”

He stated the framework: “Ultimately, we’re just signing the rest of them in. But we always have a baseline of 10%.”

The “baseline of 10%” had become the administration’s settled position on universal tariffs. No country would pay less than 10% on exports to America regardless of the negotiation. Countries that negotiated deals could secure rates closer to 10%; countries that failed to negotiate would pay much higher rates — 40%, 50%, or 60% — that reflected the trade barriers they had historically imposed on American goods.

The “four or five other deals coming immediately” confirmed that the UK agreement had triggered a cascade. Other countries, seeing that the negotiation process could produce viable agreements, were rushing to avoid being left behind. The UK had demonstrated that deals were possible; now everyone wanted to be next.

Refrigerators and Freezers

The second bill addressed commercial refrigeration.

“We have House Joint Resolution 75,” Trump said. “Again, this is a rescission of a Biden-era regulation, in this case relating to energy standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator freezers.”

The commercial refrigeration rule had targeted grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses that operated large refrigeration systems. The Biden standards would have required expensive equipment replacements and operational modifications that would have been passed on to consumers through higher food prices.

Sinks and Shower Heads

Trump previewed a separate executive order.

“Do you have the sink one in here, the sinks and shower heads?” Trump asked.

An aide confirmed: “We have an executive order on that coming for you later, sir. That’s coming when? Later this afternoon.”

Trump described the problem in characteristic style: “Sinks and shower heads — where you buy a home and you have a new shower head and you don’t get any water. The water doesn’t come out of the sink. The water comes out of nowhere. What a shame. What a ridiculous waste.”

The sinks and shower heads regulations were consumer complaints that Trump had raised repeatedly throughout his political career. Federal efficiency standards had limited water flow rates to such low levels that modern fixtures often provided inadequate water pressure for basic tasks like washing hair, cleaning dishes, or rinsing hands. Homeowners who had purchased new fixtures often discovered that the efficient models performed worse than the older fixtures they had replaced.

Inflation Fighting

The fourth bill focused on household appliances generally.

“This is House Joint Resolution 42,” Trump announced. “A rescission of a Biden-era regulation relating to energy conservation standards for household appliances and certain consumer products.”

A member explained the economic case: “This is helping fight inflation. Because the burden on appliance manufacturers is going to drive up the cost of producing household products. When you go buy a washer, dryer, any appliance, it was going to drive up the cost for consumers. It reduces consumer choice.”

He continued: “In the bottom line, we’ve been trying to fight inflation. This fights inflation. This takes the cost out of producing these products that Americans need every day.”

He made the cumulative point: “It’s one regulation here, one regulation there. They always say it’s de minimis. But when you add it all up, it costs a lot to American consumers.”

Trump agreed: “And it’s not as good. Not nearly as good, not nearly as efficient, and more costly. Other than that, it’s wonderful.”

The “fighting inflation” argument reframed regulatory repeal as economic policy. Every regulation that increased production costs eventually appeared in consumer prices. The Biden administration’s aggressive regulatory expansion across appliances, vehicles, and consumer products had contributed to the inflation that had defined the early 2020s. Rolling back those regulations was, in this framework, an anti-inflation measure.

Key Takeaways

• Trump signed 4 bills rescinding Biden regulations on gas water heaters (saving 300 Georgian jobs), commercial refrigeration, and household appliances.
• Christmas Eve rule exposed: “They pushed through regulations thinking we wouldn’t notice. We moved quickly.”
• Trade preview: “Baseline of 10% minimum, some much higher (40%, 50%, 60%). 4-5 more deals coming immediately.”
• Trump on appliance regulations: “Not as good, not as efficient, and more costly. Other than that, it’s wonderful.”
• Sinks and shower heads EO coming “later this afternoon” — fixing decades of inadequate water flow standards.