8 Democrats vote to ax Biden’s EV rule

Eight Democrats voted with House Republicans in favor of overturning a Biden administration rule that’s expected to force automakers to make a significant portion of their fleet electric.

The Democrats who voted in favor of overturning the rule were Reps. Yadira Caraveo (Colo.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), and Mary Sattler Peltola (Alaska). 

All eight Democrats represent districts that are highly competitive in this fall’s election.

One Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), voted with the rest of the Democrats against axing the rule. Fitzpatrick also represents a competitive district, though it is rated as likely Republican by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

The effort is not expected to actually result in the rule being eliminated; if the resolution that passed the House 215-191 makes it past the Senate, President Biden would veto it.

The vote will help Republicans emphasize their opposition to Biden’s effort and draw a contrast between the parties ahead of the election. 

The rule in question does not expressly mandate electric vehicles (EVs), but it does force companies that manufacture cars and small trucks to meet certain fleet-wide emissions standards.

These standards would be impossible to meet without a shift away from gas-powered cars and toward other types like electric vehicles and hybrids. 

One projection from the Biden administration said the rule could mean that 56 percent of new vehicle sales are electric in 2032 while just 29 percent are gas-powered — but the actual outcome depends on how automakers choose to go about meeting the emissions standards.

In a statement on the vote, resolution sponsor John James (R-Mich.) described the Biden rule as an “out-of-touch regulation that will crater the Michigan auto industry and decimate our middle-class, and most vulnerable.”

In a statement outlining its opposition to Friday’s resolution, the White House said the rule would mitigate climate change, benefit public health by reducing pollution, and allow the U.S. to take the lead in EV manufacturing. 

“The rule is supported by U.S. automakers and autoworkers and disapproval of the rule would jeopardize development in a critical technology sector, ceding the electric vehicle and battery future to global competitors like China,” the statement said. 

Electric vehicles have been a major issue on the presidential campaign trail, as both sides seek to make their case to workers in swing states like Michigan that their policies will improve the economy.