Washington, D.C. — Today, Representatives Andrew Clyde (GA-09) and Tim Walberg’s (MI-05) legislation, H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act of 2023, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support by a vote of 221-197. The bill prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its proposed rule that would enact aggressive emission standards for light and medium-duty vehicles.

 

"President Biden’s radical EV mandate dangerously expands government control over Americans’ daily lives, unnecessarily imposes a hefty financial burden on workers and families already struggling from Bidenomics, and recklessly enriches Communist China,” said Clyde. “Congress has an obligation to prevent this illegitimate power grab from being forced on American consumers and auto manufacturers by unelected bureaucrats hellbent on advancing the Left’s Green New Deal agenda. I’m incredibly pleased by today’s passage of the CARS Act, as this marks a critical victory in House Republicans’ battle against the Biden Administration’s war on American energy. Through both legislation and the appropriations process, we will continue fighting — and winning — for the American people." 

 

Prior to the vote, Rep. Clyde spoke in support of the CARS Act on the House floor: "I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation that would save the American energy sector, protect both American consumers and auto manufacturers, and stop Biden’s authoritarian government overreach in its tracks."

 

Watch his full remarks HERE.

"We must preserve consumer choice, maintain safety, and enable healthy competition in auto markets by ensuring Americans have access to reliable and affordable vehicles. The Biden administration continues restricting an individual’s agency by effectively mandating a sales ban on combustion engine vehicles, instead favoring ‘zero-emission vehicles.’ We commend Reps. Walberg and Clyde for leading H.R. 4468, pushing back against Biden’s gas car ban agenda," stated Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President, Heritage Action.

 

“The EPA’s proposed tailpipe emissions standards are a de facto ban on the cars and trucks Americans rely on every day. This intrusive government policy will jeopardize consumers’ access to affordable and reliable vehicle options, limit innovation, and undermine U.S. national security through greater reliance on foreign supply chains. We welcome Reps. Walberg and Clyde’s efforts, along with those of Sen. Mike Crapo, to prevent the EPA from moving forward with this deeply flawed rule and are proud to support H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act,” said Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, American Petroleum Institute (API).

 

Background

 

On April 12th, 2023, the EPA issued a proposed rule titled "Multi-Pollutant Emission Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles," establishing extreme vehicle emission standards to advance the deployment of electric vehicles. The proposed rule would set stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gasses for gas-powered vehicles. Due to these aggressive standards, the EPA projects that over ⅔ of all new vehicles will be electric by 2032.

 

The Choice in Retail Automobile Sales (CARS) Act stops the Biden Administration's executive overreach by preventing the implementation of regulations that seek to limit consumer choice, instead allowing consumers to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs. The legislation would:

 

• Prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its proposed rule titled "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles"
• Prohibit the use of authority under the Clean Air Act to issue regulations that mandate the use of any specific technology or that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type
• Require the EPA to update any regulations that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based upon that vehicle’s engine within two years

 

Full bill text is available HERE. 

 

Additionally, Rep. Clyde’s amendment to prohibit funds for the implementation of the Biden Administration’s disastrous EV mandate was included in the Republican en bloc amendment to the FY24 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill during the Full Committee Markup. The annual spending bill passed the House on November 3rd.