WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso, Senate Majority Whip, today issued the following statement after he voted with all Senate Republicans to overturn a series of California rules that would have established a nationwide electric vehicle mandate.

“Washington bureaucrats will not dictate the vehicles we can drive in Wyoming or across America. Republicans rejected the Democrats’ delusional dream of banning gas-powered vehicles forever. We rejected their effort to force-feed electric vehicles to every single American. The electric vehicle mandate was a pillar of the Democrats’ Green New Deal. Today, Republicans toppled that pillar. The American people are back in the driver’s seat, exactly where they belong.”

Background:

On May 6, Senator Barrasso in the Wall Street Journal argued the case for the Senate utilizing the Congressional Review Act to overturn the California rules.

• “The Biden administration gave the state permission to export its EV mandate one month before President Trump took office—a classic case of midnight meddling. Republicans weren’t fooled, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin submitted the waivers to Congress as rules earlier this year.”

• “Historically an agency’s declaration that its action is a rule has never been questioned. Yet in an unprecedented move, the Government Accountability Office opined that California’s action isn’t a rule and therefore not subject to the Congressional Review Act. Thankfully the bureaucrats at the GAO can’t dictate the actions of the U.S. Senate or the will of the voters. It has said its opinion matters only when agencies don’t submit administrative actions to Congress that could be considered rules. My colleagues can safely disregard the office’s decision in this case.”

On May 8, Senator Barrasso spoke on the Senate Floor about how economically damaging California’s electric vehicle mandates would be for America.

• “California’s mandates are a progressive power grab. They dictate what cars and trucks Americans can buy and drive. These mandates are not limited to California. They are calculated to control the policy of the entire nation. Congress must now act to protect the rights of the American people to drive gas-powered vehicles.”

• “California’s mandates have already taken root in a dozen states. They affect 40% of all new light-duty vehicle registrations and a quarter of new heavy-duty vehicle registrations nationwide. They clearly affect the kind of vehicles which will be manufactured and sold in America. They affect the costs and availability of gas-powered cars and trucks across the country, even in states that do not adopt the mandates.”

On May 21, Senator Barrasso spoke again on the Senate Floor about the importance of using the Congressional Review Act to block the California rules.

• “The Congressional Review Act provides the Senate a swift, permanent solution. With a simple majority, Congress can kill these rules and ban similar ones forever. This fight goes beyond party lines. It is not about Republican or Democrat. It’s about common sense versus control.”

• “Congress created a fast-track procedure in 1996 when it passed the Congressional Review Act. This week, the Senate must decide. Do we uphold ours rights under the Congressional Review Act? Or do we give GAO a veto over the Congressional Review Act now and forever? Our decision will shape the future of the Congressional Review Act.”

• “Americans have spoken. They rejected EV mandates in November. The House acted. It’s now up to the Senate to stop the EV mandates from taking hold.”

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