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President Donald Trump on Thursday signed congressional resolutions aimed at putting an end to California’s electric vehicle mandate and rules related to engines, amid the Golden State’s push to terminate the sales of gas-powered cars by 2035.
“We’ve officially rescued the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,” the president said during a bill signing at the White House.
“You got it done, I just have to sign, right?” he joked.
According to Reuters, the resolutions of “disapproval” from Congress reportedly accomplish the following:
- Repealing a Biden-era EPA waiver that would have allowed California to force 80 percent of vehicles in the state to be electric by 2035,
- Rescind the 2023 EPA approval for zero-emission truck requirements in California,
- And nixes requirements for low-nitrogen oxide vehicles for “heavy-duty” and “off-road vehicles” in California.
Trump said he was “very proud” of lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House for pushing these resolutions through to his desk, calling it “incredible.”
“You should be given the option – buy the electric car, buy a gasoline-powered car, buy hydrogen,” Trump remarked, noting the importance of options in a free market.
The president said that “about 90 percent” of the market likely preferred to use a traditional gas-powered engine, illustrating the much narrower market of the electric vehicle industry.
“It’s hard to believe when you don’t have enough electricity to give a person a little air conditioning to someone now they want you take electricity and fire up all these cars,” he continued.
Trump also warned that if the electric vehicle mandate were to stand, “all” the auto jobs would be outsourced to China “because they’re very strong on electric” and the lives of around 200,000 American autoworkers would be destroyed.
“Today, we’re saving California and we’re saving our entire country from a disaster, your cars are going to be thousands of dollars less money,” the president said.