The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to block California’s rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The vote is a major blow to one of the nation’s most aggressive climate mandates and fulfils a key promise from President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), passed 51–44 largely along party lines. It repeals a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waiver that had granted California the power to enforce its “Advanced Clean Cars II” program.
The waiver would have banned the sale of new gas-powered vehicles and required all new cars to be zero-emission within a decade. The resolution had already cleared the House on May 1 and now heads to President Trump, who is expected to sign it.
All Republicans present backed the repeal, joined by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who cited her state’s auto industry as the reason for breaking ranks with her party. “As Michigan’s U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry,” Slotkin said.
Senate Republicans framed the vote as a defense of consumer choice, economic freedom, and states’ rights. They argued that California’s policy effectively imposed national standards without the consent of other states or Congress.
“These job losses will not be confined to California,” Capito warned. “Workers in auto manufacturing, oil and gas production, and the agriculture sector across this country would lose jobs because of California’s EV mandate.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) went further, calling the California rule “a pillar of the Democrats’ Green New Deal,” and declaring, “Today, Republicans toppled that pillar. The American people are back in the driver’s seat, exactly where they belong.”
Republican leaders had to overcome a procedural challenge from the Senate parliamentarian, who initially ruled the EPA waivers weren’t eligible for repeal under the Congressional Review Act. GOP lawmakers sidestepped the ruling by introducing a related resolution targeting hydrogen vehicle standards, which opened the door for a floor vote.
Industry leaders backed the repeal, arguing that California’s mandate was technologically and economically unfeasible. “These EV sales mandates were never achievable,” said John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “Automakers warned federal and state policymakers that reaching these targets would take a miracle.”
Toyota executive Jack Hollis had echoed that sentiment last year, saying, “Demand isn’t there. It’s going to limit a customer’s choice of the vehicles they want.”
Trucking industry groups also weighed in, with the American Trucking Associations warning that California’s emission rules risked disrupting the national supply chain. “The trucking industry requires uniform, national rules,” ATA President Chris Spear said.
Democrats denounced the repeal as an attack on states’ rights and environmental protections. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the vote “should send a chill down the spine of legislators in every state,” while California Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed it as a giveaway to polluters.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta indicated the state would challenge the vote in court.
Still, Thursday’s vote marks a clear policy reversal. With President Trump poised to sign the resolution, Senate Republicans have now rolled back 17 Biden-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act, reaffirming their opposition to federal overreach and regulatory mandates.