Latest news with #EVmandate
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Trump-Musk feud escalates
Nick Grimm: The rift is widening between US President Donald Trump and his former close ally, tech billionaire Elon Musk, with the pair trading bitter accusations on social media. The escalating feud comes as the Trump administration attempts to get a mammoth spending bill through the Senate, which is facing fierce opposition from Democrats, some Republicans and Elon Musk himself. Gavin Coote reports. Gavin Coote: A political bromance that has devolved into an acrimonious divorce. After days of growing criticism from Elon Musk about Donald Trump's signature spending bill, the US president is now hitting back. Donald Trump: I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden he had a problem and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate because that's billions and billions of dollars. Gavin Coote: The CEO of electric vehicle company Tesla was until recently President Trump's most powerful ally. But the relationship fractured when Elon Musk began attacking the Trump administration's efforts to get a spending bill through Congress that would cut taxes and ramp up spending for border security. The men are now trading insults and accusations with Mr. Musk claiming on social media without evidence that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That's in reference to a large tranche of material relating to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was accused of abusing underage girls before taking his own life in prison. For many observers, the fallout wasn't a matter of if, but when. Prof Todd Belt: This was inevitable, but seeing it blow up like this so quickly is actually surprising. Gavin Coote: Professor Todd Belt is a political analyst with George Washington University. While Mr. Musk only recently left his post as a top advisor in the Trump administration, Professor Belt suspects tensions between the pair have been building for some time. Prof Todd Belt: There's a very famous photo from behind a door of Trump pointing at Musk, and we never really got the story behind that. I suspect we might now. Elon Musk was walking the halls of power. He was in the Oval Office and now he says he's sleeping in his server farms and conference rooms. So politically, he's really gone from the pinnacle to the pit. And you have to think that this is because he's really concerned about his businesses. He's said as much. The stock prices are down. The sales are down. Gavin Coote: Tesla's share price plunged by 14 percent on Thursday. While the feud continues to play out on social media, it's unclear where it could go next. Donald Trump has already threatened to cancel billions of dollars in government contracts involving Mr. Musk's companies. Bruce Wolpe is a senior fellow at the U.S. Study Center and a former Democratic staffer. Bruce Wolpe: It's getting ugly. And the question is, how ugly can it really get? I mean, Musk says that Trump would have lost the election without him. Musk has supported a tweet calling for Trump's impeachment and J.D. Vance become president. Musk has said, I'm dropping the bomb and Trump is in the Epstein tapes. These are the notorious records of Jeffrey Epstein. He's also, Musk is also disconnecting, decommissioning a rocket that's essential to resupplying the International Space Station. And so can it go any worse? Gavin Coote: The spending bill that sparked Mr. Musk's fury is yet to pass the Senate. And while he's vowed to continue mobilising opposition to it, Bruce Wolpe suspects it will have limited impact. Bruce Wolpe: When Musk first said this bill does not control the deficit, that is something that a lot of Republicans on the Hill wanted to get some information on and want to support. But when it gets this personal, I think the Republicans on the Hill, they're choosing between Trump and Musk. There's no choice here. And the Republicans are with Trump and everything rides on Trump's being able to pass this big, beautiful mega bill. If he can pass that, then his legacy, at least for the first term, will be sealed. Gavin Coote: So where does that leave Elon Musk? Do you think he will end up becoming this sort of angry voice out in the wilderness? Bruce Wolpe: Musk said that Trump has three and a half years left. He says, I'm going to be around for 40 years and he has all the money in the world. And so wherever he applies his brain and his money and his power, he can make a difference. So we will see as to where it goes. But this will go on for a while. And that does not do anything to improve the political culture in the United States. It's ugly. It's going to get worse. Nick Grimm: Bruce Wolpe there from the US Studies Center, ending Gavin Coote's report.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Senate votes to revoke California's EV emissions waivers
The Senate on Thursday voted to revoke three vehicle emissions waivers in California, a controversial move that the chamber's parliamentarian says Republican lawmakers may not have the right to make. The vote was 51-44, with Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan joining Republicans in voting in favor of revoking the waivers. Ahead of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called it "the nuclear option." The three waivers the Senate revoked set stricter vehicle emissions standards than federal regulations. Two waivers relate to reducing tailpipe emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as limiting smog pollution from trucks. The last is what's frequently called California's "EV mandate," a rule that aims to phase-out gas powered cars and require all new vehicle sales in California be zero emissions by 2035. The rule to phase out gas powered vehicles goes into effect in 2026. California was granted the ability to enact stricter vehicle emissions standards than the federal government under the Clean Air Act in a process that involves receiving a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency if the regulations meet certain requirements. The three waivers in question were approved by the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency in 2024. Republicans argue that the Congressional Review Act gives Congress the ability to overturn rules passed by federal agencies — including the waivers — by a simple majority vote, but nonpartisan government watchdogs do not agree. The Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian found that the Congressional Review Act could not be used to vote down California's waivers because the waivers are not the same as rules, according to Senate Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who supported revoking the waivers, said in remarks Tuesday on the Senate floor that "the EPA has submitted the waivers to Congress as rules — which is all that Congress has ever needed to decide to consider something under the Congressional Review Act." But Democrats say such a vote is illegal, and argue overruling the parliamentarian and bypassing the filibuster sets a dangerous precedent. "If they invoke this nuclear option now, they should expect that a future Democratic government will have to revisit decades worth of paltry corporate settlements, deferred prosecution agreements, and tax rulings that were overly favorable to multinationals and ultra-wealthy individuals," said Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, in a statement. The California Air Resources Board, a state body that designed the vehicle emissions regulations and requested the waivers, measures and sets pollution standards in California to comply with the Clean Air Act. It claims that the state has applied for over 100 waivers that have resulted in vehicles being 99% cleaner in terms of pollution, compared to vehicles from 1970. The board says they have never had a waiver revoked in the 50 years it has had the ability to enact them. "The law is that the Clean Air Act says California can set its own standards if they are more stringent, more environmentally protective than whatever the federal government standard is," said Mary Nichols, who was the California Air Resources Board chairwoman from 1975-1982 and then from 2007-2020. Nichols told CBS News that if Congress uses Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers, the state of California will sue the federal government. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that they would sue the Trump administration over the vote. "This Senate vote is illegal," Newsom said. "Republicans went around their own parliamentarian to defy decades of precedent. We won't stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again — undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — all while ceding our economic future to China. We're going to fight this unconstitutional attack on California in court." Voting down California's waivers is expected to impact cities and states across the country, as 16 additional states and the District of Columbia have adopted California's vehicle standards. Republicans have staunchly criticized California's emissions rules, especially the one aimed at driving the auto industry toward electric vehicles. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, said this week that the rules amount to "forcing certain states and certain consumers to purchase a vehicle that they may not want or that they can't find." The auto industry has been pushing for Republicans to revoke California's waivers. The Specialty Equipment Market Association represents the automotive aftermarket industry, where a third of its businesses are dependent on internal combustion engines and see the waivers and expansion of electric vehicles as a threat to business. "The death of California's waiver will give life to more than 330,000 American jobs and preserves over $100 billion of economic impact to the nation's economy," the association said in a statement. But environmental groups are alarmed by the unprecedented use of the Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers. The Environmental Defense Fund said in a statement that a vote by Congress would undermine California's ability to address pollution. "Using the CRA on EPA's preemption waivers could create a precedent for sweeping congressional nullifications of other executive actions that are outside the scope of the CRA — from decisions about Americans' eligibility for Social Security, to waivers for state Medicaid or veterans' health benefits, to actions related to energy infrastructure projects," the group said.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
California filing suit over U.S. Senate vote revoking state's EV mandate and strict emission standards
California is fighting back a day after the U.S. Senate voted to put the brakes on the state's clean vehicle policies. Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement Thursday saying the state will file a lawsuit after senators voted to revoke California's emission waivers that set stricter standards than federal regulations. One of the rules, the so-called "EV mandate," would phase out gasoline-powered cars and require new vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035. The two other waivers involve reducing tailpipe emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and limiting smog pollution from trucks. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives also voted to undo the waivers that authorize California's clean vehicle rules which were approved by the Biden administration Environmental Protection Agency in 2024. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have also adopted California's vehicle standards. California, Democrats say vote to block clean vehicle rules is illegal Republicans say the Congressional Review Act allows Congress to overturn rules passed by federal agencies with a simple majority vote, but Democrats point to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian, who found that the act does not apply because California's waivers are not the same as rules. "This Senate vote is illegal," said Newsom in a prepared statement. "Republicans went around their own parliamentarian to defy decades of precedent. We won't stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again - undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan - all while ceding our economic future to China." "With these votes, Senate Republicans are bending the knee to President Trump once again," said Bonta in a prepared statement. "The weaponization of the Congressional Review Act to attack California's waivers is just another part of the continuous, partisan campaign against California's efforts to protect the public and the planet from harmful pollution." GOP, Trump administration target California's emission rules The stricter rules would begin in 2026 by setting interim quotas for zero-emission vehicles, with quotas increasing each year until 2035. The quotas would also allow 20% of zero-emission cars sold to be plug-in hybrids. Gas-powered used vehicles would still be allowed on the roads. Republicans and the auto industry maintain that there should be a single, national standard for auto emissions and that the state's EV mandate gives consumers fewer choices and increases the price of vehicles. During his first administration, President Donald Trump also attempted to revoke the California's EPA waivers, prompting the state and 22 other states to file suit. The lawsuit became moot after President Joe Biden reversed the Trump administration policy. In 1966, California established the country's first vehicle emissions standards. Under the federal Clean Air Act of 1970, the state can adopt stricter emission standards than the EPA's regulations and is the only state eligible for a waiver to the Clean Air Act. Since the act was established, the EPA has granted California more than 75 waivers for its vehicle emissions program.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Senate GOP set to revoke California's car emissions standards, in a move Democrats call "the nuclear option"
The Senate is set to vote this week on revoking three vehicle emissions waivers in California, in a controversial move that the chamber's parliamentarian says Republican lawmakers may not have the right to do. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the planned vote "the nuclear option." The three waivers the Senate is looking to revoke set stricter vehicle emissions standards than federal regulations. Two waivers relate to reducing tailpipe emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as limiting smog pollution from trucks. The last is what's frequently called California's "EV mandate," a rule that aims to phase-out gas powered cars and require all new vehicle sales in California be zero emissions by 2035. The rule to phase out gas powered vehicles goes into effect in 2026. California was granted the ability to enact stricter vehicle emissions standards than the federal government under the Clean Air Act in a process that involves receiving a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency if the regulations meet certain requirements. The three waivers in question were approved by the Biden administration's EPA in 2024. Republicans argue that the Congressional Review Act gives Congress the ability to overturn rules passed by federal agencies — including the waivers — by a simple majority vote, but nonpartisan government watchdogs do not agree. The Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian found that the Congressional Review Act could not be used to vote down California's waivers because the waivers are not the same as rules, according to Senate Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who supports revoking the waivers, said in remarks Tuesday on the Senate floor that "the EPA has submitted the waivers to Congress as rules – which is all that Congress has ever needed to decide to consider something under the Congressional Review Act." But Democrats say such a vote is illegal, and argue overruling the Parliamentarian and bypassing the filibuster sets a dangerous precedent. "If they invoke this nuclear option now, they should expect that a future Democratic government will have to revisit decades worth of paltry corporate settlements, deferred prosecution agreements, and tax rulings that were overly favorable to multinationals and ultra-wealthy individuals," said Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, in a statement. The California Air Resources Board, a state body that designed the vehicle emissions regulations and requested the waivers, measures and sets pollution standards in California to comply with the Clean Air Act. It claims that the state has applied for over 100 waivers that have resulted in vehicles being 99% cleaner in terms of pollution, compared to vehicles from 1970. The board says they have never had a waiver revoked in the 50 years it has had the ability to enact them. "The law is that the Clean Air Act says California can set its own standards if they are more stringent, more environmentally protective than whatever the federal government standard is," said Mary Nichols, who was the California Air Resources Board chairwoman from 1975-1982 and then from 2007-2020. Nichols told CBS News that if Congress uses Congressional Review to revoke the waivers, the state of California will sue the federal government. California state Attorney General Rob Bonta told Politico in March that his office is prepared for a legal fight and said, "We don't think it's an appropriate use of the Congressional Review Act, and we're prepared to defend ourselves if it's wrongfully weaponized." Voting down California's waivers is expected to impact cities and states around the country, as 16 additional states and the District of Columbia have adopted California's vehicle standards. Republicans have staunchly criticized California's emissions rules, especially the one aimed at driving the auto industry toward electric vehicles. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, said this week the rules amount to "forcing certain states and certain consumers to purchase a vehicle that they may not want or that they can't find." The auto industry has been pushing for Republicans to revoke California's waivers. The Speciality Equipment Market Association represents the automotive aftermarket industry where a third of its businesses are dependent on internal combustion engines and see the waivers and expansion of electric vehicles as a threat to business. "The death of California's waiver will give life to more than 330,000 American jobs and preserves over $100 billion of economic impact to the nation's economy," the association said in a statement. But environmental groups are alarmed by the unprecedented use of the Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers. The Environmental Defense Fund said in a statement that a vote by Congress would undermine California's ability to address pollution. "Using the CRA on EPA's preemption waivers could create a precedent for sweeping congressional nullifications of other executive actions that are outside the scope of the CRA – from decisions about Americans' eligibility for Social Security, to waivers for state Medicaid or veterans' health benefits, to actions related to energy infrastructure projects," the group said.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Senate GOP set to revoke California's car emissions standards, a move Democrats call "the nuclear option"
The Senate is set to vote this week on revoking three vehicle emissions waivers in California, in a controversial move that the chamber's parliamentarian says Republican lawmakers may not have the right to do. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the planned vote "the nuclear option." The three waivers the Senate is looking to revoke set stricter vehicle emissions standards than federal regulations. Two waivers relate to reducing tailpipe emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as limiting smog pollution from trucks. The last is what's frequently called California's "EV mandate," a rule that aims to phase-out gas powered cars and require all new vehicle sales in California be zero emissions by 2035. The rule to phase out gas powered vehicles goes into effect in 2026. California was granted the ability to enact stricter vehicle emissions standards than the federal government under the Clean Air Act in a process that involves receiving a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency if the regulations meet certain requirements. The three waivers in question were approved by the Biden administration's EPA in 2024. Republicans argue that the Congressional Review Act gives Congress the ability to overturn rules passed by federal agencies — including the waivers — by a simple majority vote, but nonpartisan government watchdogs do not agree. The Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian found that the Congressional Review Act could not be used to vote down California's waivers because the waivers are not the same as rules, according to Senate Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who supports revoking the waivers, said in remarks Tuesday on the Senate floor that "the EPA has submitted the waivers to Congress as rules – which is all that Congress has ever needed to decide to consider something under the Congressional Review Act." But Democrats say such a vote is illegal, and argue overruling the Parliamentarian and bypassing the filibuster sets a dangerous precedent. "If they invoke this nuclear option now, they should expect that a future Democratic government will have to revisit decades worth of paltry corporate settlements, deferred prosecution agreements, and tax rulings that were overly favorable to multinationals and ultra-wealthy individuals," said Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, in a statement. The California Air Resources Board, a state body that designed the vehicle emissions regulations and requested the waivers, measures and sets pollution standards in California to comply with the Clean Air Act. It claims that the state has applied for over 100 waivers that have resulted in vehicles being 99% cleaner in terms of pollution, compared to vehicles from 1970. The board says they have never had a waiver revoked in the 50 years it has had the ability to enact them. "The law is that the Clean Air Act says California can set its own standards if they are more stringent, more environmentally protective than whatever the federal government standard is," said Mary Nichols, who was the California Air Resources Board chairwoman from 1975-1982 and then from 2007-2020. Nichols told CBS News that if Congress uses Congressional Review to revoke the waivers, the state of California will sue the federal government. California state Attorney General Rob Bonta told Politico in March that his office is prepared for a legal fight and said, "We don't think it's an appropriate use of the Congressional Review Act, and we're prepared to defend ourselves if it's wrongfully weaponized." Voting down California's waivers is expected to impact cities and states around the country, as 16 additional states and the District of Columbia have adopted California's vehicle standards. Republicans have staunchly criticized California's emissions rules, especially the one aimed at driving the auto industry toward electric vehicles. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, said this week the rules amount to "forcing certain states and certain consumers to purchase a vehicle that they may not want or that they can't find." The auto industry has been pushing for Republicans to revoke California's waivers. The Speciality Equipment Market Association represents the automotive aftermarket industry where a third of its businesses are dependent on internal combustion engines and see the waivers and expansion of electric vehicles as a threat to business. "The death of California's waiver will give life to more than 330,000 American jobs and preserves over $100 billion of economic impact to the nation's economy," the association said in a statement. But environmental groups are alarmed by the unprecedented use of the Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers. The Environmental Defense Fund said in a statement that a vote by Congress would undermine California's ability to address pollution. "Using the CRA on EPA's preemption waivers could create a precedent for sweeping congressional nullifications of other executive actions that are outside the scope of the CRA – from decisions about Americans' eligibility for Social Security, to waivers for state Medicaid or veterans' health benefits, to actions related to energy infrastructure projects," the group said.
