Trump Slashes California’s ‘Crazy’ Far-Reaching EV Mandates

President Donald Trump revoked California’s electric vehicle mandates, which have been adopted by nearly a dozen other states nationwide.

The president signed three congressional resolutions on Thursday, putting an end to 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.

“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. “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.”

.@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

The move, made possible by Trump signing resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, was celebrated by a group 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.”

U.S. automaker 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 and greenlit 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 EPA approval for California to require automakers to produce more zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. The third resolution eliminates the state’s low-nitrogen oxide regulation targeting heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles.

Republicans and auto companies have pushed for the EV regulations to be addressed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said last month that the EPA’s waivers allowed California “to dictate emissions standards for the whole country – effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate.” In May, the GOP-led House voted to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval for the EV mandate with the support of 35 Democrats. The Congressional Review Act allowed the Senate to bypass a filibuster to undo the EV regulations, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

In their vote, Senate Republicans were joined by Michigan Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who said she has “a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.”

Trump signaled his support for ending California’s EV mandate while on the 2024 campaign trail.

“When I’m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.

California Democratic 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,” Bonta added.