U.S. News

Trump Signs Bill Stopping California From Banning Gas Cars

By Jake Beardslee · June 13, 2025

President Donald Trump signed a bill Thursday that blocks California’s plan to phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, dismantling a key climate policy from the Biden era and intensifying his clash with California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“It’s been a disaster for this country,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all.”

The new law revokes Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers that granted California the authority to set stricter emissions rules than federal standards under the Clean Air Act. That authority was also followed by more than a dozen other states.

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta condemned the move and vowed to take legal action. “Trump’s all-out assault on California continues, and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” Newsom said in a statement. “We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly owned subsidiary of big polluters.”

Bonta announced that California and 10 other states are filing a joint lawsuit challenging the legality of Trump’s rollback. The lawsuit comes on the heels of widespread protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

The now-revoked waivers allowed California to impose its electric vehicle mandate as well as regulations on nitrogen oxide emissions and truck standards. While 11 states initially adopted California’s clean car standards, at least one, Vermont, has declared it will not enforce them due to practical constraints.

The legislation follows a GOP-led Senate vote last month to reverse the waivers, a move seen by critics as prioritizing industry interests over environmental protections.