Senate overrules parliamentarian and votes to undo California EV rule

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

May 22, 2025 11:19 AM ET


The Senate has overruled the guidance of the parliamentarian, a nonpartisan staffer who interprets the Senate's rules, and voted 51 to 44 to overturn a waiver allowing California to set its own air pollution standards for cars that are stricter than national regulations. The Senate has only overruled its parliamentarian a handful of times in the 90-year history of the role.

The Senate has not yet voted on related resolutions to revoke two more waivers related to heavy-duty trucks. One allows California to mandate zero-emission trucks, and the other permits stricter emissions standards for new diesel trucks. Congress is using a law called the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, as a mechanism to revoke the federal waivers that allowed California to set these rules. The House previously approved three resolutions to revoke the waivers.

But there are significant questions about whether this use of the CRA is legal; the Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian, who serve as referees within the federal government, both determined that it is not.

The GAO's opinion is merely advisory. The parliamentarian's guidance is also non-binding, but the Senate has traditionally followed it. While disregarding this advice is not unprecedented, it's extremely rare. Historically, leaders of both parties have feared that if they act unilaterally to change the Senate's norms, the other party will do the same when they're in power. That's exactly what happened in 2013 and 2017, when first Democrats and then Republicans deployed the "nuclear option" to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/22/nx-s1-5387729/senate-california-ev-air-pollution-waiver-revoked

---

REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143462937

[rurallib]

1. So MAGAs in reality overturned it?

[Miguelito Loveless]

2. So, we could have had the ERA

if we had simply overruled the Parliamentarian. But we are going to play by the rules, all the way to Hell.

[Fullduplexxx]

3. This what angers me about the democratic party ... theyre too timid for the job

Dems are getting some fighters now but for the most part they , instead of fighting , write strongly worded letters to people who don't give a shit

[mdbl]

4. So magats want more pollution.

Typical. They have already fucked up our planet to the point of no return so what is the difference now?

[JBTaurus83]

5. Hate to say you are probably right

We are past the point of return already. People who want to buy electric will still buy. In all likelihood, CA would have probably kept delaying the law. Look how long this Real ID thing has taken.