On June 12, 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition of 11 states in suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to block it from overturning three of California’s vehicle emissions standards, which have been powerful tools in fighting air pollution that harms people’s health. The Trump administration and Congress attempted to overturn these high state standards by unlawfully deploying the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress a brief period to review and reverse certain agency regulations after an agency takes action. California’s clear air standards had been granted a waiver from preemption under the Clean Air Act, and neither the waiver nor the standards states set under those waivers are subject to the Congressional Review Act. The inapplicability of the Congressional Review Act was affirmed by both the Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian. The other 10 state plaintiffs have adopted at least one of California’s standards, and many have adopted all three.

Revoking California’s vehicle emissions standards would cost tens of billions of dollars in healthcare costs to California alone, with additional costs borne by every other state that has adopted these standards. The suit argues that the attempt to invalidate California’s standards violated constitutional principles, the Congressional Review Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act. The states requested that the court enjoin the EPA from effectuating the congressional resolutions purporting to override state standards.

The President’s reckless, politically motivated, and illegal attacks on California continue, this time with his attempt to trample on our longstanding authority to maintain more stringent clean vehicle standards. The President is busy playing partisan games with lives on the line and yanking away good jobs that would bolster the economy – ignoring that these actions have life or death consequences for California communities breathing dirty, toxic air. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: California will not back down. We will continue to fiercely defend ourselves from this lawless federal overreach. Attorney General Rob Bonta