Hold onto your gas pedals, folks—California Governor Gavin Newsom is steaming mad after Congress pulled the plug on his state’s electric vehicle mandate.
According to Breitbart, in a nutshell, Congress repealed a special waiver that supported California’s push for electric vehicles, prompting Newsom to cry foul and promise a legal battle.
This saga started when the outgoing Biden administration granted California a waiver in December to enforce its ambitious EV mandate. That mandate, for those not in the loop, aims to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. It’s a lofty goal, but one that’s already stumbling as EV sales in the Golden State fall short of targets.
Fast forward to this month, and the House, with a bipartisan majority, voted to scrap that waiver, as reported by Breitbart News. The Senate followed suit with a tight 51-44 vote to repeal it. This wasn’t just a suggestion—it was a full-on rejection of California’s plan.
The repeal leaned on the Congressional Review Act, a Clinton-era law that lets Congress nix regulations not properly submitted for approval. Newsom, however, insists this waiver shouldn’t even be subject to such scrutiny. Well, Governor, rules are rules, even for progressive dreams.
On Thursday, Newsom didn’t hide his frustration over the decision. “Make America Smoggy Again,” he quipped, taking a sarcastic jab at the repeal. Cute line, but it dodges the reality that neither California voters nor Americans at large ever signed off on this mandate, as noted by KCRA’s Ashley Zavala.
Undeterred, Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are gearing up for a courtroom showdown. They’ve announced plans to sue over the repeal, claiming it’s an illegal overreach. Sounds like a bold move, but federal law isn’t exactly a suggestion box.
Their argument hinges on the idea that the Congressional Review Act doesn’t apply to California’s Clean Air Act waivers. They point to rulings from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian, both of whom reportedly agree the CRA’s fast-track process shouldn’t touch these waivers. It’s a technical defense, but Congress disagrees.
Adding fuel to the fire, Newsom’s team argues that using the CRA here breaks decades of precedent. These waivers, they say, have never been subject to such review. Fair point, but precedent isn’t law, and Congress seems ready to chart a new course.
Critics of the repeal, including Newsom, accuse the Republican-controlled Senate of misusing the Congressional Review Act. They claim it’s an improper tool to revoke waivers tied to California’s clean cars and trucks program. Misuse or not, the votes were cast, and the gavel has fallen.
Let’s step back and look at the bigger picture here. California’s EV mandate, while well-intentioned to some, was never put to a public vote, leaving many to wonder if it’s more about political posturing than practical policy. Turns out, top-down mandates don’t always charge up public support.
EV sales numbers tell a sobering story, too—they’re lagging behind Newsom’s targets. For a state banking on a gas-free future by 2035, that’s a red flag. Maybe it’s time to ask if forcing this transition is the right gear to be in.
On one hand, cleaner air and fewer emissions are goals most can get behind. On the other hand, shoving a mandate down folks’ throats without their say feels like a classic overreach of government power. There’s a middle road here, but California seems allergic to finding it.
Newsom’s frustration is understandable—nobody likes seeing their vision derailed. But Congress isn’t a rubber stamp, and the repeal shows that even progressive strongholds like California can’t always bypass federal oversight. Actions, as they say, have consequences. So, where does this leave us? A legal battle looms, and California’s EV dreams are on shaky ground. Whether the courts side with Newsom or Congress, one thing’s clear: this fight over electric vehicles is just getting revved up.
