The United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing California on what it calls an “illegal” EV mandate, after the Trump Administration signed into law a bill prohibiting the state from adopting regulations related to fuel economy.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The Administration is arguing that individual states are not allowed to adopt state-specific mileage requirements for car manufacturers, contrary to what several US states have previously argued against the federal government.
Last year, US President Donald Trump signed a bill revoking what his administration called the “California EV mandate,” stripping EV tax breaks in California and overturning the state’s diesel engine regulations.
These measures were pillars of Governor Gavin Newsom’s broader goal to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales by 2035.
Following the signing, a coalition of 11 states — including New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington, among others — sued the Trump Administration, the President himself, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asking the Court to rule that the federal government cannot override their individual emissions standards.
CAFE Standards
In the new lawsuit, the Administration is also arguing that California’s separate emissions regulations — which are stricter than the new national standards — would effectively require automakers to alter their production lines nationwide in order to sell vehicles in the state.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that “California is using unlawful policies from the last administration to create exorbitant costs for our citizens.”
According to the DOJ, this creates inconsistency in the national auto market, raises vehicle costs, limits consumer choice, and conflicts with interstate commerce rules.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, introduced by Congress in 1975, require automakers to meet minimum fuel efficiency averages across their vehicle fleets.
Late last year, the NHTSA revised these standards, excluding EVs from compliance calculations and setting the fuel economy target at 34.5 mpg by model year 2031 — a reduction from the Biden administration’s target of approximately 50 mpg.
According to the Administration, the previous rule made it easier for electric vehicle manufacturers to meet federal efficiency targets.
Congress also removed civil penalties for CAFE noncompliance through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reiterated on Thursday that the Administration’s “plan to eliminate the Biden-Buttigieg EV mandate” allows auto manufacturers to produce vehicles that American families “actually want to buy at a more affordable price.”
On the other hand, the representative said “Gavin Newsom is determined to continue pushing Democrat’s radical EV fantasy – even if doing so is illegal. Newsom may not care about lowering costs, but President Trump does.”
NHTSA’s Administrator Jonathan Morrison added that “it was a mistake by Presidents Obama and Biden to enable California to set its own backdoor fuel economy policies, which have now spiraled into a costly patchwork quilt of individual state fuel economy requirements.”
“This litigation will correct that misstep,” he added.
Clean Energy Cuts
According to official records, California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed 54 lawsuits against the Trump Administration during the first year of his term.
Among the areas affected, clean energy funding has seen significant cuts.
Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, California has experienced more than $1.6 billion in clean energy project cutbacks.
On his first day in office, the President issued executive orders declaring a “national energy emergency” and calling for the termination of the Green New Deal, frequently referred to as a ‘Green New Scam’ by the Administration.
Trump also promised to reduce clean energy tax breaks — including the $7,500 federal credit for purchasing or leasing electric vehicles — which were eliminated last September.
These clean energy cuts cuts are part of a broader Trump administration effort to roll back federal support for clean energy and climate‑related programs since returning to office last January.
Earlier this year, 13 US states — including California — sued the federal government over withheld grants approved by Congress for clean energy projects, totaling about $2.7 billion.
The funds were for programs allocated under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which have been cancelled by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The lawsuit claims that the terminations unlawfully violate the constitutional principle of separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires government agencies to follow fair and transparent procedures when making rules and decisions.
It asks the court to rule the administration’s actions illegal and to permanently stop them from interfering with these programs.
Bipartisan Retribution Claims
According to California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-led the lawsuit alongside Washington and Colorado, the funding cuts reflect “partisan retribution,” as most of these states voted for the Democratic Party in the latest elections.
“These aren’t optional programs — these are investments approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress, and the President doesn’t get to cancel them simply because he disagrees with them,” Rob Bonta stated on Wednesday — according to the Los Angeles Times.
In September, Trump told reporters that he was open to “cutting programs that [Democrats] like” as a government shutdown loomed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
