California Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out Thursday after Congress voted to repeal his state’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate, calling the move a step toward making “America Smoggy Again.” The bipartisan Senate vote of 51-44 followed a similar action by the House, effectively targeting the special Clean Air Act waiver granted to California by the Biden administration in December.
The repeal, executed under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), aims to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s waiver that allowed California to enforce its own stringent emissions and EV sales regulations. Newsom argues the CRA does not apply to such waivers and announced plans to sue, calling the repeal “illegal” and a threat to climate progress.
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta declared that they would challenge the Senate’s action in court, claiming it violates decades of precedent. “This defies decades of precedent of these waivers not being subject to the CRA,” the statement read, rejecting the legality of the repeal.
Critics note that Newsom’s sweeping EV mandate, which bans gas-powered car sales by 2035, was never approved by voters. While the governor has aggressively pushed electric vehicles, sales have consistently fallen short of state targets.
The EV mandate has drawn increasing scrutiny as EV infrastructure lags, costs rise, and consumer interest wanes. The repeal signals growing national resistance to California’s environmental overreach and the Biden administration’s backdoor support via regulatory waivers.
Newsom’s mandate, heavily reliant on federal blessings, now faces its biggest challenge yet as Congress reasserts its authority and Californians grow wary of top-down green mandates that many see as out of touch with economic and energy realities.
The repeal marks a significant blow to California’s environmental agenda and to Newsom’s national ambitions, as the state has often positioned itself as a model for progressive climate policy. With the 2035 gas vehicle ban under threat and EV adoption slowing, the clash between federal lawmakers and state leaders could reshape the future of automotive regulation nationwide. Legal experts anticipate a drawn-out court battle that may ultimately end up before the Supreme Court, potentially curbing California’s ability to set its own emissions standards.
