Providing Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to ``California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Advanced Clean Cars Ii; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''
Floor Speech
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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, as a staunch defender of Michigan's auto industry, which is still the backbone of the American economy, and someone who cares deeply about the environment, I do not take this vote lightly.
I have spoken multiple times to all of the stakeholders involved. I believe in preserving consumer choice, maintaining American leadership in innovation, defending the future of domestic manufacturing, and protecting the environment. These are not mutually exclusive.
Michigan and the United States put the world on wheels, and we are now leading in the transition to the next generation of vehicles. We cannot afford to cede that leadership to our adversaries.
I will remind my colleagues that, in my lifetime, it wasn't that long ago when gasoline prices went up and American consumers wanted smaller cars. Japanese automakers flooded our markets with smaller vehicles, caught our domestic auto industry flatfooted, and U.S. manufacturers paid the price for that for a decade.
We must innovate, adapt, and build vehicles competitively here at home. The global marketplace wants EVs, hybrids, and internal- combustion engines.
To lead globally, we must accelerate the manufacturing of cleaner vehicles in a practical, affordable, and inclusive way. That means building out EV charging infrastructure, keeping hybrids and plug-in hybrids available, and assuring affordability, which is becoming one of the biggest issues in this country, especially when we are competing with at least one other country where the government subsidizes the manufacturing, uses forced labor, and manipulates its currency.
We cannot cede our leadership to China or any other country. This also means investing in advanced manufacturing, securing domestic battery supply chains, and protecting the Inflation Reduction Act's historic EV investments.
California's Advanced Clean Cars II program would impose EV sales mandates across nearly 30 percent of the U.S. market. While that may work for California, it isn't working in some other States.
Let me be clear. This is not the time to ban gas-powered vehicles. CARB and Governors must be able to adjust these programs if market conditions change. Maryland Governor Wes Moore recently did just that, easing compliance enforcement. Consumers in these other 13 ZEV mandate States need to be talking to their Governors, and CARB needs to pay attention.
I also share concerns about consumer choice, but this Congressional Review Act resolution has serious legal flaws. The Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian both ruled that these waivers are not subject to the CRA. Proceeding sets a dangerous precedent.
Misusing the CRA today could open the door to striking down a wide range of Federal programs tomorrow, including Medicaid waivers, which worries me greatly. I don't sleep at night on that one.
We are here today because some States have adopted stricter rules that could ban new gas-powered vehicles by this summer. I support the EV transition, but we are simply not there yet.
For model year 2026, ACC II States would require 35 percent of new car sales to be a mix of electric or plug-in hybrid, yet the national average is at about 10 percent. That requirement jumps to 68 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035 for the ZEV mandate States. For most States, this is simply not realistic today.
We need all the stakeholders at the table--labor, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, consumers, the environmental groups--to work together for the American people and figure it out and figure it out right so that we stay competitive in a global marketplace, meet consumer demands, take care of the environment, sell affordable cars, and keep manufacturing in this country.
This resolution would be unprecedented Federal overreach. While I disagree with California's timeline, I also disagree with misusing the CRA to address it.
If we are serious about America's leadership, EVs must be in our portfolio. I remain committed to protecting American jobs, expanding consumer choice, and ensuring U.S. leadership in global automotive innovation.
The American people sent us here to solve problems.
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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, let's stop wasting time on illegitimate messaging CRAs and work together to support innovation, build out the infrastructure, ensure access to affordable American-made vehicles, whether gas-powered, hybrid, or electric. Let's work together for our country.
Mr. Speaker, I will be voting ``no.''
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