President Trump’s rare visit to Democrat-run California has seen him pledge to combat the homelessness crisis in big cities like LA and now, to take a hit at ridiculous policies enacted by Democrats in the Obama-era that hurt the working class.
Trump is starting by revoking California’s waiver to set its own vehicle emission limits for cars, which he has confirmed will result in both cheaper and safer cars for California residents!
Check out the president’s announcement on Facebook:
The state of California was the single, only state in the nation that had such a waiver to set stricter regulations on cars and greenhouse gases than the federal ones.
Now, California's vehicle emission policies will line up with those set by the federal government and encourage automakers to make more cars in the state.
Here's a video overview of Trump's decision to revoke California's emission waiver:
CBS News also had the following to say:
President Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is revoking California's authority to set auto mileage standards stricter than those issued by federal regulators. Mr. Trump made the announcement while in California, a state he rarely visits.
In a tweet, the president claimed his move would result in less expensive and safer cars, insisting that new cars would be cleaner, even as they burn more gasoline than they would have under the Obama-era fuel efficiency standards.
"Many more cars will be produced under the new and uniform standard, meaning significantly more JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! Automakers should seize this opportunity because without this alternative to California, you will be out of business," Mr. Trump tweeted.
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to make a major announcement on Thursday, although it didn't specify the topic. California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the president in a news conference on Wednesday.
"I don't know what the hell has happened to the Republican Party. By the way, where is the Republican Party right now? Where are they pushing back, why aren't they pushing back," Newsom said. "They believe in federalism, they believe in state rights, at least they assert that. They're nowhere to be found on this."
U.S. automakers contend that without a substantial increase in fuel efficiency, their vehicles will be less competitive globally, which could potentially result in job losses.
"Automakers support year-over-year increases in fuel economy standards that align with marketplace realities, and we support one national program as the best path to preserve good auto jobs, keep new vehicles affordable for more Americans and avoid a marketplace with different standards," said Dave Schwietert, the interim CEO and president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents Ford, General Motors and other leading U.S. auto manufactures.
Mr. Trump's move comes after the Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into a deal between California and four automakers for tougher pollution and related mileage requirements than those sought by Mr. Trump. The president also has sought to relax Obama-era federal mileage standards nationwide, weakening a key effort by his Democratic predecessor to slow climate change.
The National Review examined some ways Trump getting rid of the waiver will benefit the state:
Further, under the Obama administration, California leveraged the car industry’s desire for a single regulatory regime into an agreement with the federal government, under which the nationwide regulations would reflect California’s priorities. As a result, car buyers nationwide had to pay extra for vehicles meeting the state’s preferences. No single state should have such power.
The waiver needs to go. And the Trump administration should continue with the other element of its plan too: nixing Obama-era rules that required fuel economy to hit nearly 55 miles per gallon on average by 2025, a far-fetched goal that could force car companies to sell electric vehicles at a loss to bring down the average fuel economy of their overall fleets. Freezing the standards after next year, as the administration plans to do, could reduce the future price of a car by thousands of dollars — and also reduce motor-vehicle fatalities, because one way carmakers increase fuel efficiency is to make cars lighter and more dangerous.
It’s fine for car companies to go above and beyond what’s legally required of them. But the government should not force the industry to meet unreasonable standards, force customers to pay for it, or allow California to set national policy.
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