Austin News

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has introduced a disapproval resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn a new Biden-Harris administration regulation that would effectively ban gas-powered automobiles and compel American consumers to purchase electric vehicles.

This final rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), combined with the administration’s significant increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) civil penalties and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) vehicle emissions rule, is expected to raise car prices, limit consumer choice, and impact U.S. auto workers.

“The Biden-Harris administration has declared war against affordable gas-powered cars,” said Sen. Cruz. “I’m leading the effort in the Senate to stop radical environmentalists from both abusing the rulemaking process and trying to force electric vehicles on consumers who do not want them.”

The resolution is cosponsored by 28 senators, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Sen Jim Risch(R-Idaho),Sen Rick Scott(R-Fla.)andSen Tommy Tuberville(R-Ala.).

In June 2024, Senator Cruz announced his plan to force a vote on the Biden-Harris gas car ban.

In January 2024, Senators Cruz and Mike Crapo led a bicameral coalition of their colleagues in sending a letter calling on NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman to rescind the Biden administration’s proposed CAFE standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks.

In December 2023, Senator Cruz sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson urging Congressional leadership to defund the Biden EPA’s electric vehicle rule, which would effectively require vehicles to be fully electric by 2032.

In October 2023, Senator Cruz introduced the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act with Senators Pete Ricketts and Crapo to counter what they termed as executive overreach banning gasoline-powered vehicles and establishing an electric vehicle mandate.

In May 2023, Senator Cruz led Commerce Committee Republicans in sending a letter highlighting concerns that under then-nominee Ann Carlson NHTSA would follow EPA's lead in adopting California's push to ban gas-powered vehicles by proposing stringent fuel economy standards.

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