California's electric vehicle mandates, which have been adopted by several other blue states, have been revoked by President Donald Trump, who said the move was necessary to save the U.S. automobile industry.
“We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday as he signed three congressional resolutions which end California’s ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
The California mandate was adopted by 11 other states, representing one-third of the auto market in the United States.
“They said it couldn’t be done, but boy, it had us tied up in knots for years. And they passed these crazy rules in California … the automakers didn’t know what to do,” Trump said.
Trump's move, made possible by his signing resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, was lauded by groups representing major automakers, including GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Hyundai, and Volkswagen, Reuters reported.
“The fact is these EV sales mandates were never achievable,” said Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella. “In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.”
GM added in a statement: “We appreciate the actions taken by President Trump to sign H.J. Res. 88 into law and help align emissions standards with today’s market realities. We have long advocated for one national standard that will allow us to stay competitive, continue to invest in U.S. innovation, and offer customer choice across the broadest lineup of gas-powered and electric vehicles.”
One of the resolutions signed by Trump repeals a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waiver that was granted under the Biden Administration paving the way for California’s mandate for at least 80% of new vehicles to be electric by 2035, according to Reuters.
Trump will sign another resolution approved by the Republican-controlled Congress to rescind a 2023 Biden EPA approval for California to require automakers to produce more zero-emission heavy-duty trucks.
The third resolution eliminates the California’s low-nitrogen oxide regulation targeting heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said last month that the Biden EPA’s waivers allowed California “to dictate emissions standards for the whole country – effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate.”
California Democrat Attorney General Rob Bonta said his state would sue over Trump’s move “to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards. President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good-paying jobs on the line — but California won’t back down.”
.@POTUS: "We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate ONCE AND FOR ALL." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zOVvF5DKyF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 12, 2025
