The proposal reduces fuel economy requirements set by former President Biden. The administration claimed the reversal would boost access to and the affordability of gasoline vehicles.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned that Republicans will face political “headwinds” ahead of the 2026 elections after the GOP won a closer-than-expected Tennessee special election.
“The opposition party tends to be more motivated, their voters are motivated. So in a special election or off-year elections the turnout models are significantly different than they would be in an even-numbered year. You probably saw that in Tennessee,” Thune told reporters.
And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remains under scrutiny as Republican lawmakers wrestle over how to respond to allegations the defense secretary committed a war crime with a deadly boat strike in the Caribbean. The military struck the alleged drug-trafficking boat four times.