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Not too long ago, Republicans and Democrats could find common ground on clean air and water. But we are in a darker time now.
We are far from the days when conservative heroes Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan signed the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Montreal Protocol in 1987, landmark initiatives that put the health of Americans over the interests of polluters.
Instead, this week, Senate Republicans are illegally using the Congressional Review Act to undermine California’s work to make and keep the air breathable. Eliminating California’s clean-air waivers is an attack on decades of work that began in earnest when then-Governor Reagan established the state’s Air Resources Board in 1967.
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California’s clean-air standards, which 17 other states have chosen to follow, have pushed American car companies to innovate — and to become globally competitive.
Global electric car sales rose by 35% in the first quarter of 2025, primarily driven by the growing affordability of electric models. American companies founded right here in California pioneered electric vehicles, but we risk losing our advantage in the global marketplace.
China is now the world’s EV manufacturing hub, responsible for more than 70% of global production, with Chinese imports making up three-quarters of the increase in EV sales across all emerging economies outside of China in 2024. Meanwhile, the U.S. has become a net importer of electric cars. Instead of turning that around, Republicans and some leaders in the auto industry are giving up.
California has worked with the auto industry on reasonable and cost-effective air-quality standards for over five decades. Until now, they have been good partners.
Overturning the standards that drive American manufacturing innovation will destroy the footholds we’ve made in this market — and will be the death of legacy automakers, thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the United States.
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Republicans have decided that clean air and good jobs aren’t priorities. It’s unclear what’s important to them, but it’s certainly not American workers.
In 2021, Ford announced a $5.8 billion battery manufacturing campus in Glendale, Kentucky, that will add close to 5,000 new jobs. In 2023, Toyota said it’s investing $8 billion – now totaling nearly $14 billion – in a clean vehicle, battery, and energy storage project in Liberty, North Carolina, that is expected to create 3,000 jobs in a Republican district.
These investments happened because clean-car policies succeeded in pushing these companies to stay competitive globally — and to do better for these American communities. What will become of them now?
Republicans want to cut off the driving force behind this progress, even if that means stopping investments in their own districts. If we lose this fight, we don’t just lose California’s leadership on clean cars, we lose the race for the future.
California’s clean car rule is a critical test case for the U.S. clean vehicle strategy for the 21st century. It’s why automakers are finally investing in electric. It’s how we’re cutting pollution and building a market that reflects our values. And it’s how we’re protecting this country from the economic tsunami headed our way.
If Republicans succeed in gutting our standards, we’re clearing the road for China to dominate the global auto market. Last year, Chinese manufacturer BYD Automotive debuted its Seagull model, a luxury EV nicknamed the “Lamborghini mini,” for as low as $9,700. It has set an entirely new bar for the EV market and the car market as a whole. If Republicans fold, the streets in Asia, Europe, and Africa will be dominated by affordable Chinese models like this instead of American ones.
Republican plans to prevent states from pushing American car companies to do better are a disservice to this country. American car companies will be outmatched. Workers will suffer.
Nothing less than the air we breathe and our economy is at stake. As California has shown over and over again, there is a better way — one that leads to clean air, good jobs, and another century of innovation and economic prosperity.
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