President Donald Trump officially struck down California’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate on Thursday, reversing a key environmental policy that had been adopted by over a third of the U.S. auto market.
With the stroke of a pen, Trump signed three Congressional Review Act resolutions that dismantle California’s EV plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035—effectively freeing the U.S. auto industry from what he called a “destructive” mandate.
“We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,” Trump declared during a White House announcement. “They passed these crazy rules in California, and the automakers didn’t know what to do.”
California’s mandate had been embraced by 11 other states, effectively putting pressure on automakers nationwide to comply. Under President Joe Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had granted waivers allowing California to set its own emissions regulations. Trump’s action rolls back those waivers, curbing California’s authority to impose EV requirements on the rest of the country.
.@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
Automakers and Republicans hailed the decision. According to Reuters, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation—which represents industry giants like GM, Toyota, Hyundai, Stellantis, and Volkswagen—said the mandate was unworkable.
“These EV sales mandates were never achievable,” said John Bozzella, the group’s CEO. “Meeting the mandates would have required diverting finite capital away from actual EV development just to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.”
General Motors praised the move, stating: “We appreciate the actions taken by President Trump to align emissions standards with today’s market realities. We have long advocated for a unified national policy that supports both competition and consumer choice.”
The three resolutions signed by Trump specifically reverse: The EPA waiver allowing California to require 80% of new vehicles to be electric by 2035, A 2023 EPA rule demanding increased zero-emission heavy-duty truck production, and California’s low-nitrogen oxide regulations targeting trucks and off-road vehicles.
Critics of California’s authority to set its own standards argued that it essentially forced a national EV mandate. Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) warned the EPA’s waivers “let one state dictate vehicle rules for the entire country.” The resolutions passed Congress with bipartisan support, including 35 House Democrats and Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who emphasized her duty to protect over a million Michigan jobs tied to the auto sector.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta vowed to sue in response, calling Trump’s action “partisan games with lives and jobs on the line.”
Trump reiterated his promise: “No state in America will be allowed to ban gas-powered cars—guaranteed.”