US Senate blocks California's Electric Car mandate
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Recent developments in the U.S. Senate regarding electric vehicle (EV) mandates primarily center on the repeal of California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which aimed to phase out new gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035. On May 22, 2025, the Senate voted 51-44 to pass House Joint Resolution 88, overturning the federal waiver granted by the Biden administration that allowed California to enforce stricter vehicle emissions standards, including the EV mandate. This resolution, supported by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Deb Fischer (R-NE), was signed into law by President Donald Trump on June 12, 2025, effectively blocking California’s plan and impacting 11 other states that adopted it. The vote saw one Democrat, Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), join Republicans in favor.
California, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, along with 10 other states, filed a lawsuit on June 12, 2025, challenging the repeal, arguing it unlawfully strips their right to set stricter emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit claims the Congressional Review Act (CRA), used to pass the resolutions, does not apply to the EPA waivers, as confirmed by the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office.