The House voted 226-197 on Tuesday to undo a Biden-era interpretation of federal showerhead rules, with a small group of Democrats joining Republicans in support of the measure. Backers said the change would give homeowners more flexibility and restore what they describe as a straightforward understanding of water-pressure limits.
“Washington bureaucrats have gone too far in dictating what happens in Americans’ own homes,” Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., the bill’s sponsor, said.
“This is about defending consumer choice, pushing back on regulatory overreach and standing up for commonsense policy.”
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine., one of the Democrats who voted with Republicans, offered a short explanation of his position.
“Shower pressure is a good thing,” Golden said.
Golden was among 11 Democrats who supported the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing Act, or SHOWER Act. Supporters say the bill would lock in an executive order President Donald Trump issued in April of last year, which directed the Department of Energy to roll back how the Biden administration applied water-pressure standards to showers with multiple nozzles.
Under existing law, showerheads are limited to producing a set amount of flow. The Biden-era approach treated multi-nozzle systems as a single unit—meaning the combined flow from multiple nozzles could not exceed the legal cap. Practically, that interpretation led to lower flow per nozzle as more nozzles were added.
Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., argued the Biden-era interpretation created unnecessary limits.
“It seems like the Democrats want to tax you out of existence and overregulate you. So, [the bill] is a step in the right direction. Less regulation,” McGuire said.
Fry said the legislation would return to what he views as the commonly understood meaning of a showerhead for most people—treating each nozzle as its own showerhead under the law.
“That rule was widely criticized as overreach and emblematic of a broader regulatory agenda targeting everyday household appliances,” Fry said in a statement. “The SHOWER Act is a smart fix that reaffirms each shower nozzle is just that — its own shower head — and should be treated accordingly under the law.”
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., voiced similar support, saying the bill would allow households to decide what works for them.
“For far too long, federal regulations and red tape have limited consumer choice and forced Americans to live with limited water pressure,” Guthrie said.
“By codifying how different nozzles are categorized, the SHOWER Act offers a commonsense fix that will allow households to choose what meets their needs, not what Washington mandates.”
Next, the legislation heads to the Senate. Supporters will need at least seven Democrats to join Republicans to clear the chamber before the bill could move to President Trump’s desk.
