WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) joined U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (R-Michigan) along with a bicameral group of 121 lawmakers in sending a letter to U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman calling for the withdrawal of the Biden Administration’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks. The proposed standards, which would require automakers to more than double the average fleet-wide fuel economy in less than 10 years, do not comply with federal law, and would effectively mandate the mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) and phase-out gas-powered cars and trucks.  

“The federal government does not have the right to dictate what type of vehicle Texans can or cannot drive,” said Rep. August Pfluger. “I speak for rural America when I say President Biden does not know the first thing about our vehicle needs. This effort to take away gas-powered cars and trucks will not be tolerated.”

In the letter, the lawmakers state: “We write to express our deep concern with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars and light trucks, which represent yet another attempt by this Administration to use the rulemaking process to impose its climate agenda on American families.”  

“The proposal issued in July is mere virtue signaling for this Administration’s extreme climate agenda, but it would actually have only limited impact on emissions while strengthening foreign adversaries and harming American workers and consumers,” the lawmakers concluded. “We strongly urge NHTSA to drop its attempt at central planning and instead put forth a workable proposal that complies with the law and better serves the American people.”