President Trump has signed resolutions overturning Biden-era EPA waivers that gave California the authority to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035. The move blocks what many saw as a backdoor national electric vehicle (EV) mandate driven by one state’s agenda.
Key Facts:
- President Trump signed three resolutions repealing EPA waivers granted to California under the Biden Administration.
- The waivers allowed California to ban gas-powered cars, trucks, and engines by 2035.
- California’s rules would have effectively created a national EV mandate due to its market size and influence.
- Eleven states and Washington, D.C., had adopted California’s emissions standards.
- Congress passed the resolutions under the Congressional Review Act, which permits overturning finalized federal regulations.
The Rest of The Story:
At a White House ceremony, President Trump declared, “We officially rescued the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating California’s electric vehicle mandate.”
The resolutions he signed reversed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers that allowed California to enact stricter vehicle emission standards than the federal baseline.
These waivers, approved under the Biden administration, would have permitted California to prohibit the sale of gas-powered cars, trucks, and engines by 2035.
Because California is the largest new car market and several states follow its lead, its policies have national ripple effects.
Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, called the situation “unconscionable,” arguing that national policy should not be “dictated by individual states or unelected bureaucrats.”
Commentary:
President Trump’s move to revoke California’s EV waivers is a step in the right direction for American consumers, industry freedom, and constitutional order.
One state should not have the power to steer national policy—especially on something as significant as what kind of vehicles Americans can drive.
California’s 2035 ban on gas-powered vehicles may sound progressive in theory, but in practice, it undermines personal freedom, raises costs, and favors ideology over practicality.
Forcing EV adoption through mandates limits consumer choice, punishes people who can’t afford newer, more expensive electric vehicles, and puts pressure on an already strained power grid.
The notion that California could serve as a national regulator through sheer market size and EPA waivers is dangerous.
That’s not how our federal system is designed to work.
Trump’s actions restored the balance of power, putting the brakes on an activist government bent on centralizing decisions that rightly belong to the people.
It’s not just about cars.
It’s about resisting a pattern of unelected bureaucrats shaping national policy from niche ideological strongholds.
These EPA waivers were a prime example of that creeping overreach.
The real solution lies not in top-down mandates, but in market innovation.
If EVs are truly better, consumers will choose them without coercion.
Let technology and preference, not government force, drive the transition.
The Bottom Line:
President Trump’s repeal of California’s EPA waivers protects American consumers from a de facto national EV mandate.
It reinforces the principle that no single state should control the nation’s energy or transportation policy.
The future of the auto industry should be driven by choice, not edicts.
This rollback defends freedom, affordability, and federalism.
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