President Trump used the Congressional Review Act to revoke California’s special emissions waivers, ending state-level bans on new gas and diesel vehicles starting in 2035.
Story Snapshot
- Trump signed three resolutions canceling California’s Environmental Protection Agency waivers for strict vehicle rules.
- The move blocks states from banning new gas, diesel, or hybrid sales and restores one national standard.
- California officials plan lawsuits and call the action an assault on air quality.
- Backers say it protects consumer choice and American industry from costly mandates.
What The President Signed And Why It Matters
White House officials said President Trump signed three Congressional Review Act resolutions on June 12, 2025. These measures revoke California’s Environmental Protection Agency waivers that backed a 2035 ban on new gas car sales and new zero-emission targets for trucks. Axios and public television coverage confirmed the signing and the target of the California rules. A proponent video from the signing framed the moves as restoring one national policy and stopping state bans on gas, diesel, and hybrid vehicles.
Trump said the California approach was a disaster for the country and for industry. He argued the resolutions protect workers, drivers, and small businesses from rules that force costly electric vehicles. The actions also reversed a Biden-era waiver that had let California set tougher tailpipe standards than the federal baseline, including on heavy-duty trucks. The Congressional Review Act path signals a lasting block on these waivers unless Congress passes new law.
How The Resolutions Reshape State And Market Power
Supporters within the administration, including transportation, energy, and environmental leaders, backed the change as a return to one fair national standard. They said it prevents a patchwork that lets California drive policy for many other states through copycat rules. The resolutions ensure no state can remove new gas, diesel, or hybrid vehicles from sale, which directly limits California’s 2035 mandate reach beyond its borders and reins in the domino effect seen when other states align to its rules.
California’s Advanced Clean Cars plan set a timeline to reach one hundred percent zero-emission new car sales by 2035. State air officials said it included plug-in hybrids and mid-course steps in 2026 and 2030. Public sources document that staged path and the state’s broader climate targets. The Senate and House had already moved to block the rule in votes earlier in 2025, showing momentum in Congress against the waiver-backed mandates. Those votes set the stage for the president’s signature.
Legal Clash Ahead And What’s Still Unknown
California’s governor and attorney general blasted the action and vowed to sue, with other aligned states likely to join. Local outlets reported the lawsuit push and the claim that the president is dismantling environmental protections. This fight continues a long federal-state tug of war over who sets the toughest rules for air pollution and climate policy. Court timelines, venue, and the standard of review will shape how fast the market sees clarity.
Economic proof points are thin on both sides in public records. The administration argues the mandates would crush jobs and raise prices, but has not released a detailed economic impact study. California says the rules protect health and climate, but has not produced peer-reviewed data here that directly counters the “harm to industry” claim in measurable terms. What is clear is choice: these resolutions keep gas, diesel, and hybrid options on the lot while the courts sort the rest out.
Sources:
townhall.com, axios.com, pbs.org, kmbc.com, calmatters.org, ww2.arb.ca.gov
