Last Updated on May 22, 2025 by The HD Post Staff

CALIFORNIA – California governor Gavin Newsom displayed a sign “Trump’s’ GOP is Making America Smoggy Again” at a press conference in response to the U.S. Senate overturning the state’s gas car ban.

Newsom said they anticipated this moment.

“What the Senate did has been correctly referred to as a nuclear option,” said Newsom. “They decided to change the rules that had been established in the United States Senate, protocols that have been established for centuries, in order to attack California.”

The U.S. Senate voted 51–44, this morning, to revoke California’s authority to enforce its zero-emission vehicle mandate. The mandate aimed to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.

The EPA granted waivers to California, under the Biden Administration, which permitted the state to enforce stricter vehicle emissions standards than federal regulations.

California attorney general Rob Bonta said they intend to sue the Trump Administration over the unlawful use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). 

“The CRA has been in place for 30 years. It has never, ever — not once, been used to apply to a waiver … So this is unprecedented,” said Bonta.

‘CA regulators have no authority to dictate what cars Americans can buy’

Several fuel trade associations voiced their support of the vote.

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) said Congress has made clear that California has no authority to dictate what cars Americans can buy.

“President Trump can now deliver on a major part of his campaign promise to end EV mandates in the United States,” said the association.

The resolution now advances to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law. 

If enacted, this measure would not only impact California but at least 12 other states that had adopted its stricter emissions standards.

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