Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to ``Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles''

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHOLTEN. Madam Speaker, Michigan put the world on wheels, and we are going to keep it moving forward. We are proud of our legacy that is ever-evolving, thanks to the grit of the American worker.

West Michiganders, in particular, are a key part of this legacy as folks across my district manufacture transportation components necessary to keep this country in motion.

I also take special pride in representing miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, the largest freshwater reserve in the entire world. My community knows that we must be good stewards of our Nation's most critical cargo ports.

Right now, we are fighting to preserve our resources so that our children might inherit a world where our kids can breathe, that can sustain our farms, is void of extreme weather events, and has clean water to drink and air to breathe.

This is not going to happen overnight. It requires a multifaceted approach. The EPA's effort to limit harmful air pollution from light- and medium-duty vehicles is a piece of this lifesaving puzzle.

Our Nation's transportation sector is critical, but it is also one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, so to safeguard the health and well-being of Americans, we have to work to slash pollution associated with our planes, trains, ships, and cars.

To be clear, the EPA's technology-neutral rule is not an EV mandate. It is a call on manufacturers to innovate and expand options for consumers to choose vehicles based on their potential environmental impact.

What exactly do so many of my colleagues across the aisle have against choice?

When it comes to forging a new path forward in transportation, I would never bet against Michigan, especially Michigan automakers.

Air pollution, particularly from tailpipes, is responsible for asthma and a wide array of respiratory illnesses in children, adults, and seniors.

If this rule stays intact, families across West Michigan will save on healthcare costs an estimated $1.6 trillion and protect the well-being of their children. As a mom of two young children, two young student athletes in particular, I take this seriously.

If you are a parent out there of a child with asthma, I stand here on your behalf today. If you are an American autoworker, I stand here on your behalf today.

If you are ready to stand up to big polluters and China and stand up for American autoworkers, I am standing for you here today.

Rolling back this rule is bending a knee to big polluters while ignoring the broad coalition of autoworkers, automakers, public health advocates, and environmental organizations who believe in addressing climate change head-on while furthering innovation in transportation.

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Ms. SCHOLTEN. Madam Speaker, I am so proud of West Michigan's critical role in the transportation sector, but this CRA won't do anything to address the reality of the sector's emissions.

This is not a mandate. It is an opportunity to innovate for families, for farmers, and to get out there and keep China from eating our lunch.

I thank Ranking Member Pallone for his leadership in pushing back against this CRA, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

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