Big Government at Work

Making your appliances less effective, more costly

The government should not make taxpayers’ lives worse. Yet, in the name of “energy efficiency,” the U.S. government has done exactly that for the last 30 years. Federal government regulations have made home appliances less functional, more breakable and more expensive to repair. For example, current regulations cause dishwashers to take two hours or more to wash and dry a normal load of dishes—twice as long as previously. And ultra-efficient washing machines cost $100 more than other models.¹

Fortunately, President Trump recently issued a memorandum to cancel restrictive water pressure and “energy efficiency” rules. These radical green energy regulations promulgated by the Department of Energy—supposedly based on the Energy Policy Act of 1992—have made showerheads, faucets, toilet, urinals, clothes washers and dishwashers less effective and, oftentimes, dysfunctional. The memorandum directs the Department of Energy to revert to the original standards required by statute (instead of creating ever more restrictive rules and enforcing them like laws) and urges Congress to consider amending or repealing the Energy Policy Act of 1992, in whole or in part.²

This is welcome news. What’s been done for the past 30 years is just so typical of the way government works. The bigger the government becomes, the more it intervenes in our lives with horrible ideas executed horribly. Without public accountability or competitive incentives, government regulations often have effects opposite those intended.

This brings us to the topic of the washing machine I recently bought for my home.

My washing machine

My new clothes washing machine is a classic example of the results of heavy-handed government meddling. For instance…

If I want clean clothes, the government says I can’t. A normal cycle adds only two inches of water to my top loader. This is not nearly enough to submerge the clothes, let alone clean them. “Washing machine” has become a euphemism for “dirty laundry mixer,” thanks to government bureaucratic interference.

If I want to wash the soap out of my laundry, the government says I can’t. Phosphates were formerly used to quickly and effectively rinse soap out. But the government has banned even small amounts in consumer laundry detergents despite water treatment plant technology that removes them. In reality, commercial agricultural fertilizers are the principal source of phosphates in lakes and rivers.

If I want a warm rinse, the government says I can’t. Warm water is another effective way to rinse soap out. But no washing machine on the market today provides a warm water rinse thanks to government regulations.

If I want to do laundry efficiently, the government says I can’t. In the name of “energy efficiency,” an average load weighing eight pounds takes 70 minutes to wash. This is very inefficient compared to my old machine, which did the job in 25 minutes.

If I want to conserve water and energy, the government says I can’t. The options on my new machine either provide minimal amounts of water, which doesn’t clean the clothes, or maximum fill, with nothing in between. Trying to rid clothes of soap with extra rinses wastes both energy and water.

After trying out my purchase, I have concluded that an “energy-efficient” washing machine is really a machine that wastes a lot of water and energy. Typical of the far left, the name is the opposite of the reality. George Orwell called this “newspeak” in his dystopian novel 1984.

Deep state overreach

Who’s in charge of my washing machine? Apparently, not me—at least for now. Hopefully, this will start to change with the new administration’s memorandum. It’s time to correct the deep state’s overreach into the lawmaking authority of Congress. And it’s time to ensure our markets are free from an unelected federal bureaucracy that has illegitimately taken away consumer choices.

1. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Rescinds Useless Water Pressure Standards. The White House, 5-9-25. whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-rescinds-useless-water-pressure-standards/

2. Presidential Memoranda: Rescission of Useless Water Pressure Standards. The White House -9-25. whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/rescission-of-useless-water-pressure-standards/