Trump Reverses Newsom’s Ban on Gas Cars – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

President Donald Trump held a White House signing ceremony Thursday to celebrate the congressional resolutions overturning the recent California law banning gas-powered cars by 2035.

The resolutions, a form of legislation using the Congressional Review Act, reverse the longtime efforts of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who swiftly announced after the signing ceremony that California is challenging Trump’s order with a lawsuit joined by 10 other states.

Newson, with whom Trump has recently been engaged in a public war of words on several issues, including wildfire prevention, tariffs, and deportations, signed an executive order in 2020 that would ban the sale of all new gas cars and trucks by 2035.

Eleven states have announced plans to follow suit with bans of their own, including New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon.

California’s regulation was an unprecedented move in United States environmental policy, and it was met with backlash from conservative politicians. The Republican-controlled U.S. House blocked the ban in early May by appealing to the Congressional Review Act.

Opponents of the Republican Congress’s resolution claim that the use of the Congressional Review Act is a dangerous precedent and blatantly goes against the advice of the Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Senate Parliamentarian.

Trump and Republicans claim that California’s regulations are impractical and unattainable. Trump said that California has “the most ridiculous laws I’ve ever seen” and emphasized that such regulations would be detrimental to the economy and individual consumers.

The president invited Bill Kent, a convenience store chain owner, to speak on the difficulty and cost associated with investing in electric infrastructure. Kent said that from his experience, people generally prefer gas-powered engines over electric.

Trump then invited John Hess, CEO of the Hess Corporation oil company, who shared that he sees this legislation as giving freedom to the consumer as opposed to mandating that every citizen buy and drive electric cars. He said that the economy would be stronger and more competitive and that the oil and gas industry leverages a strategic advantage for the American economy, energy independence, and national security.

The president also shared an anecdote about a conversation he had with a longtime truck driving expert who felt that these regulations would force him to close down his business. 

Newsom previously accused Trump and Republicans of being bought by major contributors to pollution, saying, “Trump Republicans are hellbent on making California smoggy again. Clean air didn’t used to be political. In fact, we can thank Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon for our decades-old authority to clean our air.”

Trump made a point to say that if consumers want to buy electric vehicles, they are free to do so. 

Tesla’s stock had varied movement on Thursday, but saw a general downtrend in light of the news. EV stock movement on Friday was down in the morning, but saw a rise by midafternoon.

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