President Trump’s order strengthens surveillance of banking activities of non-citizens
President Trump’s executive order directed banks to flag suspicious activity related to non-citizens without requiring them to collect citizenship data.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump plans to announce a review of two Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency refrigerant rules aimed at lowering grocery costs for consumers, according to administration officials.
One action would extend the deadline for grocery stores and other businesses to phase out the use of climate-harming refrigeration hydrofluorocarbons under the 2023 Technology Transition Rule.
The move is expected to make refrigerants used in freezers, refrigerators and air conditioning systems available to supermarkets, homeowners and other businesses, and the White House estimates will save $900 million, including $800 million on groceries.
EPA is also proposing to amend the 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation Program to exempt all road-grade refrigerant equipment used to transport goods from new hydrofluorocarbon leakage requirements. The White House estimates the changes will save an additional $1.5 billion.
President Trump is scheduled to announce the EPA changes Thursday morning at an Oval Office event attended by executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly Fairway stores and other grocery chains.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement that the refrigerant regulations adopted by the Biden administration “do not protect human health or the environment and instead pile up costly and unattainable limits beyond what is required by law.”
“Our actions will help businesses choose the best refrigeration system for their companies, saving them billions of dollars, which will be felt directly by American households in lower grocery prices,” Zeldin said.
The Trump administration has repealed or overhauled a wide range of environmental and climate rules from the Biden and Obama administrations as part of its aggressive deregulation policy.
The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to emphasize measures aimed at cutting costs for Americans amid soaring inflation that poses a political liability to Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The consumer price index rose 3.8% in April, the highest inflation rate in three years, due to rising oil prices due to the US war against Iran.
Food prices rose 2.9% year-on-year in April, after rising 0.7% month-on-month.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
