Senate Republicans Look To Block California Policy

In a move that jolted the green energy establishment, the GOP-led Senate delivered a thunderous rebuke to the Biden administration’s climate ambitions on Thursday. With 50 Republicans and one Democrat uniting behind the Congressional Review Act (CRA), the Senate voted to revoke the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Air Act waiver granted to California—a waiver that empowered the Golden State to phase out new gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035.

The decision isn’t just about tailpipes and carbon footprints. It’s a seismic shift in the battle over federal versus state power, climate policy, and the future of America’s auto industry.

At the heart of the matter is a fundamental question: Can one state, no matter how populous or influential, dictate the direction of an entire nation’s transportation policy?

California certainly tried. Its aggressive emissions standards and sweeping electric vehicle (EV) mandate had become a beacon for 11 other states seeking to follow suit. But Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, weren’t about to let the EPA greenlight what they saw as regulatory overreach cloaked in green intentions.

Capito called the waiver a “radical and drastic policy” that threatened to destabilize sectors of the economy and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. “I’m proud to have led this effort to protect American workers and consumers,” she said.

The resolution passed by invoking the Congressional Review Act—a rarely used but powerful tool that allows Congress to bypass the filibuster and directly dismantle executive regulations. Republicans even extended the repeal to include waivers tied to heavier-duty vehicles.

While the Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian raised flags about whether the waivers even qualified for CRA review, Senate GOP leaders—particularly Majority Leader John Thune—navigated a complex path of procedural maneuvers to maintain support among their ranks.

Now that both chambers of Congress have passed the measure, it awaits a signature from President Donald Trump, who has vowed to block any future state-level gas car bans if re-elected. “I guarantee it,” he declared at a Michigan rally, pledging to protect internal combustion engines and the industry built around them.

Not everyone welcomed the rollback. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta fired back, promising a legal showdown. “We will sue to protect California’s longstanding authority,” he warned, branding the Senate vote as partisan interference with serious consequences for both public health and jobs tied to clean energy sectors.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the move as a capitulation to fossil fuel interests and a dangerous precedent in hijacking the CRA for partisan aims.

But perhaps the biggest political wrinkle came from within the Democratic Party itself. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan broke ranks, citing her duty to protect the auto workers and economic ecosystem of her state. “Michigan is the auto capital of the world,” she said, making it clear that in her view, policy should support—not threaten—the industry’s evolution.