California’s electric vehicle dreams just hit a brick wall. On Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to dismantle the Golden State’s federal waiver, effectively killing its aggressive EV mandate, as the Washington Free Beacon reports. The decision delivers a sharp rebuke to climate activists pushing for a gas-free future.
The Senate’s 51-44 vote, backed by every voting Republican and one Democrat, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, halts California’s plan to force automakers to sell a rising percentage of EVs starting in 2025, culminating in a 2035 gas car ban. Introduced by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia in April 2025, the resolution sailed through the House with a 246-164 vote, including 35 Democrats. President Donald Trump is poised to sign it into law, cementing a major campaign promise.
California’s EV mandate, passed in 2022, leaned on a 1970 Clean Air Act provision allowing the state to set stricter vehicle emissions rules than federal standards. The Biden administration granted the required waiver in December 2024, letting California and a dozen other states enforce strict EV sales quotas. But Congress has now slammed the brakes, reminding Sacramento that it doesn’t call the shots for the entire nation.
Capito didn’t mince words: “The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy.” She’s right -- mandating EVs in a market where only 8.1% of new car sales were battery electric in 2024 is a recipe for economic chaos. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation noted a mere 0.5% sales increase from 2023, proving consumers aren’t clamoring for EVs.
California’s law demanded that 35% of 2026 model-year vehicles in the state and 11 other states be electric. John Bozzella, head of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, called the targets “never achievable,” warning that automakers would need a “miracle” to comply. Forcing square-peg mandates into a round-hole market was always a progressive pipe dream.
Trump, campaigning against what he called the “crazed concept of ‘all Electric Cars,’” argued that it would devastate Michigan’s auto industry. He’s not wrong -- shuttering gas-powered car production threatens jobs and consumer choice. The Senate’s vote ensures Americans can still buy the vehicles they want, not what Sacramento dictates.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom predictably wailed that the resolution will “cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children.” Nice try, but exaggerating health risks and waving the China bogeyman won’t change the math -- EVs aren’t ready to dominate. Newsom’s vision of a green utopia ignores the economic wreckage left in its wake.
Democrats and green energy groups also whined about procedural violations, claiming that Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Republicans played dirty. Sour grapes don’t change the outcome -- bipartisan support, including Slotkin’s vote, shows that even some Democrats see the mandate’s flaws. Actions have consequences, and voters are tired of elite overreach.
The House’s resounding 246-164 vote, with 35 Democrats crossing party lines, underscores the mandate’s unpopularity. Major energy, free-market, and consumer groups cheered the Senate’s decision, recognizing it protects jobs and affordability. Meanwhile, climate activists are left clutching their pearls, stunned that their agenda isn’t universally adored.
Bozzella nailed it: “There’s a significant gap between the marketplace and these EV sales requirements.” Automakers, already struggling with supply chains and inflation, faced an impossible task meeting California’s quotas. The resolution frees them to innovate without bureaucratic shackles.
The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute celebrated, with presidents Chet Thompson and Mike Sommers stating, “Congress has made clear that California regulators have no authority to dictate what cars Americans can buy.” Their joint statement highlights the resolution’s role in fulfilling Trump’s pledge to end EV mandates. It’s a win for common sense over ideological zeal.
California’s 2022 mandate was a classic case of progressive hubris, assuming regulators could force consumer behavior. The 2035 gas car ban was the cherry on top, a dystopian vision where choice goes to die. The Senate’s vote restores sanity, letting the market, not bureaucrats, decide the future of transportation.
The dozen states that adopted California’s rules now face reality: you can’t legislate innovation overnight. With only 8.1% of U.S. car sales being electric in 2024, forcing a 35% quota by 2026 was laughably detached. Consumers, not coastal elites, will shape the auto industry’s future.
Trump’s expected signature on the resolution will cap this saga, delivering a blow to the climate lobby’s overreach. It’s a reminder that elections matter, and voters rejected heavy-handed mandates. The gas pump isn’t going anywhere just yet.
For now, Americans can breathe easier, knowing their car-buying freedom is intact. California’s EV fantasy has been grounded, and the Senate’s vote proves even bipartisan lawmakers see through the green haze. Here’s to driving what we want, not what Newsom dreams.
