President Biden’s mandate to eliminate most sales of new gas-powered cars by the end of this decade is his latest climate change policy that puts vulnerable Democrats on edge.
“Oh boy,” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez, Washington Democrat, said with a sigh and a laugh when she learned of the new Environmental Protection Agency regulation that forces automakers to sell up to two-thirds all-electric and hybrid vehicles by 2032.
An auto-shop-owner-turned-congresswoman, Ms. Gluesenkamp Pérez in 2022 turned her district blue for the first time in over a decade. She said the administration is making the mistake of “chasing the new shiny thing” by forcing EV sales.
Congressional Republicans will soon force Ms. Gluesenkamp Pérez and dozens of other Democrats in competitive reelection races to vote whether they back Mr. Biden’s newest green energy regulation.
The vote will force swing-state Democrats to again break with Mr. Biden and climate change activists or else suffer criticism for forcing Americans to buy cars they don’t want.
GOP Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Dan Sullivan of Alaska will file legislation to repeal the mandate under the Congressional Review Act, triggering an eventual vote that will only require a simple majority to pass.
Centrist Democrats’ willingness to buck Mr. Biden’s green agenda was put on display this week when House Republicans voted on a series of energy-related bills. Ms. Gluesenkamp Pérez was among the more moderate Democrats who voted across the aisle.
Sen. Joe Manchin III, the West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Energy Committee, said he’s on board to help Republicans tank the administration’s new EV rule.
“It’s just wrong. The whole thing,” Mr. Manchin said. “The market usually controls it. If they make the product good enough, and the value’s there and everything, the market usually changes.”
Mr. Manchin is not seeking reelection, but his support will be pivotal to overturning Mr. Biden’s regulation. He helped write the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which included up to $7,500 in tax credits for EV buyers.
“First of all, we bribed them by giving a $7,500 rebate, and then on top of that, [the administration] mandates it,” Mr. Manchin said. “That’s bulls—. Pure bulls—.”
Some vulnerable Democrats declined to comment, including Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
“I am running to a hearing,” Ms. Rosen said as she waited for an elevator in the U.S. Capitol.
Her Republican opponent, Sam Brown, whacked Mr. Biden for imposing what he called an “extreme agenda [that will] destroy American energy and thousands of jobs while eliminating choice in the market.”
“And Jacky Rosen will go right along with it, as she always does,” Mr. Brown said.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat who’s running for the state’s open Senate seat, defended the administration’s move. She described the EV sales targets as “tough and aggressive, but also achievable” for the auto industry that’s headquartered in Detroit.
“It’s not a mandate. People have a choice,” Ms. Slotkin said.
Her GOP challenger, former Rep. Mike Rogers, called the regulation the “Biden-Slotkin EV mandate.”
In Ohio, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will face off against Trump-backed Republican Bernie Moreno.
Mr. Brown suggested he was on board with the new regulations but cited concerns about how the EV transition could impact auto workers and domestic components. EVs are less labor intensive and rely on critical minerals for batteries that come from other countries, mostly China.
“My job is to make sure that whatever the auto industry is going to make, the cars they’re going to make, my job is to make sure they’re American whenever possible and union-made,” he said.
Mr. Moreno rebutted, saying: “You can’t be pro-worker when your policies lead to workers getting pink slips.”
The auto industry is giving the administration a reluctant embrace, as EV sales in recent years have failed to meet expectations. At their current rate, it would take decades to achieve what the administration hopes to accomplish in the next eight years.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing major automakers, hailed the EPA rule but described the EV targets as “a stretch goal.”
White House and EPA officials insisted the move will enhance consumer choice rather than impede Americans who prefer their gas-guzzlers.
“This is also a big success for our consumers,” a senior administration, who declined to be named, told reporters. “U.S. consumers can increasingly opt out of the oil industry’s monopoly on how we get from point A to point B. That choice means competition, and it’s good news for our drivers.”