Republicans Set To Block California’s ‘Radical’ Gas Car Ban

On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate voted to overturn a Biden administration move that powered California’s green energy agenda for cars and trucks that 11 other states have sought to adopt.

Fifty Republicans and one Democrat banded together to revoke the Clean Air Act waiver the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted in December to the Golden State that allowed it to proceed with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.

Because the Republican-controlled House already passed the resolution of disapproval, the measure now heads to President Donald Trump. California has signaled that it is prepared to file a legal challenge.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who is the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, spearheaded the effort in the upper chamber to repeal the waiver.

“The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,” Capito said in a statement. “I’m proud to have led this effort to protect American workers and consumers from this radical and drastic policy.”

President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue during his presidential campaign at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.

“When I’m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,” Trump said.

Senate Republicans used the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows bypassing a filibuster to undo regulations, to pass the resolution. Under this process, Lawmakers also voted to strike down waivers related to emissions for heavier-duty vehicles.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Senate parliamentarian advised that the waivers are not rules that qualify for CRA, but The Hill reported on how Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) used a series of procedural votes to alleviate concerns by some of his GOP colleagues.

On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) accused Republicans of trying to “appease the fossil fuel industry.” He also said they were “hijacking the CRA process in a way that’s never been done before” and warned: “What goes around when you’re in the majority comes around when you’re back in the minority.”

The one Democrat who joined with Republicans and spurned California was Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).

“Today, I voted to prevent California and the states that follow its standard from effectively banning gas-powered cars by 2035,” she declared in a statement. “Michigan is the auto capital of the world, and as Michigan’s U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, announced his state was ready to fight in court.

“Since the Senate is caving to the Trump Admin’s demands, we will sue to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards,” Bonta said. “President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good paying jobs on the line — but California won’t back down.”

Jayden Jelso contributed to this report.