Congressman Fong Celebrates President Trump’s Signing of CRAs to Overturn California EV Mandates

WASHINGTON, DC. – Today, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) joined President Donald Trump and several of his colleagues at the White House to celebrate the signing of three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to overturn California’s burdensome electric vehicle (EV) mandates. Specifically, the resolutions rollback the Biden administration’s approval of California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, and Omnibus Low-NOx Emissions rule.

“I applaud President Trump for repealing Governor Newsom and the Biden administration’s extreme electric vehicle mandates. This is a win for California families, workers, and small businesses,” said Congressman Fong. “It was an honor to be at the White House today to witness these important bills being signed into law — undoing burdensome regulations, lowering costs for families, protecting consumer choice, and ending executive and federal overreach.

“One-size-fits-all mandates don’t work and would have forced Californians to buy expensive cars they can’t afford, strained our electric grid, and eliminated gas and hybrid options millions rely on. These new laws put consumers back in the driver’s seat and restore our freedom to purchase what works best, whether it’s gas, hybrid, or electric. 

“California needs real solutions, not costly political experiments. I’ll continue to fight for policies that promote affordability, protect good-paying jobs, and ensure energy choice remains in the hands of the people.”

Background:

Under the Clean Air Act, states are generally prohibited from setting their own tailpipe emission standards for cars and trucks. However, California has a unique exemption under Section 209, allowing it to keep the emissions regulations that pre-dated the Clean Air Act, and update them as needed by submitting a waiver to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. Once granted, these California standards can also be adopted by other states under Section 177 of the Clean Air Act. Currently, about a dozen states follow California’s emissions policies, effectively turning the state’s regulations into a nationwide mandate.

The Biden administration approved several controversial waivers requested by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), allowing the state to impose extreme emissions rules that impact car and truck costs and availability across the country. These include:

• Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2) – Approved in December 2024, this regulation mandates that 35% of new car sales be zero-emission by 2026, increasing to 100% by 2035. At least 12 states have already adopted ACC2. Failure to meet this goal means a maximum penalty of $25,000 per non-compliant vehicle sold to consumers. Text of the resolution can be found here.
• Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) – Approved in March 2023, this regulation forces truck manufacturers and retailers to meet strict zero-emission quotas by 2035, including 55% of Class 2B-3 truck sales, 75% of Class 4-8 straight truck sales, and 40% of truck tractor sales. At least 11 states have adopted ACT. Text of the resolution can be found here.
• Omnibus Low-NOx Emissions Rule – Approved in December 2024, this regulation imposes aggressive emissions reductions on medium- and heavy-duty truck and other engines, requiring NOx emissions to be cut by 75% below current standards for Model Year 2024-2026 compared to 2010 levels and particulate matter emissions to be cut by 50%. Text of the resolution can be found here.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn these waivers with Congressman Fong’s support on April 30 and May 1, 2025.