House Republicans on Thursday voted to block California’s electric vehicle mandate, which includes a plan to phase out the sale of gas-only vehicles by 2035.
They were joined by a few dozen Democrats, including Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana. Correa is the only Orange County Democrat who sided with his colleagues across the aisle on the measure.
“As Americans, we all want to do our part to protect the environment. That’s why for decades, I have been driving a hybrid car,” Correa said. “As a lawmaker, my primary job is to listen to my neighbors and respect their choices to do what is best for their families and their circumstances.”
“That means,” Correa continued, “protecting consumers’ rights to drive whatever vehicle makes sense for them and their pocketbooks.”
Considered a groundbreaking mandate, California’s plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles was granted a waiver by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Biden administration.
According to exemptions carved out in a 1967 law, California does have the ability to set its own vehicle emissions standards, but must do so through waivers from the EPA. California has been granted more than 100 federal waivers for new and amended vehicle emissions standards as of 2024, according to a congressional report.
The bill was passed by the House on Thursday, May 1, in a 246-164 vote. Rep. Young Kim, the lone Republican who represents an Orange County district, voted in favor of it.
“Republicans are hellbent on Making California Smoggy Again — and that couldn’t be any clearer than with their House effort to illegally overturn our state’s Clean Air Act protections,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on social media, referencing President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. “We’re not going to back down from protecting Californians or cave to big polluters.”
But Rep. John Joyce, a Pennsylvania Republican who authored the bill, said he was proud to see the bipartisan vote.
“Congress cannot allow California to set national policy,” Joyce said, urging the Senate and president next to “protect the freedom of the open road for the American people.”
It now heads to the Senate, but it’s still unclear whether Congress even has the power to revoke the EPA waiver. Both the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office (an independent, nonpartisan agency that provides services to Congress) have said that Congress does not have such authority.
“California’s authority to regulate its own pollution is enshrined in federal law and has been repeatedly approved on a bipartisan basis,” said California Sen. Adam Schiff. “I will defend California’s power to protect its own residents, and remind my Senate colleagues the dangerous implications of this attack on state’s rights.”
Trump, while campaigning last year, had vowed to block states from banning gas-powered vehicles.
As for the 2026 of it all, Correa represents a solidly blue district.
California’s 46th Congressional District, centered in Orange County, includes communities in Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana. According to the latest report from the California secretary of state (Feb. 10), Democrats account for 46.79% of registered voters in the district, Republicans make up 23.8% of registered voters and 23.52% are no party preference.
Correa won reelection in November with 63.4% of the vote.
Also this week, Correa signed on to a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the Trump administration from sharing taxpayer information from the IRS with federal immigration authorities.