Politics briefing

Trump says he approved fuel-economy rules ending Biden EV push; DOT to finalize Monday

President Donald Trump said Saturday he approved new vehicle fuel-economy standards that terminate what he calls the Biden administration's EV mandate. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the final rules arrive Monday. A prior DOT proposal would cut the 2031 fleet target to about 34.5 mpg from Biden's 50.4 mpg.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T17:10:00-07:00

Exterior of the Ford Wayne Stamping and Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan (file photo)

Editor’s note: Facts follow Reuters (David Shepardson and Jasper Ward), CNBC (Amelia Lucas), and POLITICO (Jean Chemnick), all Sep 26, 2026. The final Federal Register text was not public at drafting; fleetwide mpg figures (34.5 vs 50.4 by model year 2031), cost and fuel-use estimates, and annual stringency rates refer to the Trump DOT/NHTSA December 2025 proposal and department estimates as reported by those outlets. Trump describes the Biden rules as an "EV mandate"; the underlying program is Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that raised required fleet efficiency and thereby encouraged more electric and hybrid production. Gas-price figure (~$4.50/gallon national average Saturday) is from POLITICO.

President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved new vehicle fuel-economy standards that, in his words, terminate the Biden administration's "EV mandate." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amplified the announcement and said "a major victory for America's auto workers is coming Monday," when the Department of Transportation is expected to finalize the rules, Reuters and POLITICO reported.

What Trump said: In a Truth Social post quoted by CNBC and POLITICO, Trump wrote that the new standards "will take the waste out of building cars in America" and mean "LOWER PRICES," claiming every manufacturer from General Motors to Ford to Stellantis wants to build in the United States. The final rule text was not immediately available, and White House officials did not immediately answer questions, POLITICO said.

How the numbers compare: Under Biden-era Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules, automakers were on a path toward a fleetwide average of about 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031. The Trump Transportation Department's December 2025 proposal would instead target roughly 34.5 mpg by 2031 — nearly one-third lower — after revising earlier years and then raising standards by about 0.25% to 0.5% a year, Reuters and POLITICO reported. Biden's schedule had required steeper annual gains earlier in the decade.

Trade-offs DOT itself flagged: The department estimated its proposal would cut the average cost of a new vehicle by about $930. The same analysis projected about 100 billion more gallons of fuel use through 2050, roughly $185 billion more in fuel spending, and about 5% higher carbon dioxide emissions, Reuters reported, citing the department's figures.

Why it matters now: The announcement lands as drivers face elevated gasoline prices — POLITICO put the national average just under $4.50 a gallon on Saturday — and as midterms approach. Weaker CAFE targets make it easier for automakers to sell more profitable pickups and SUVs and reduce the regulatory pressure to build electric vehicles, CNBC noted. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said lowering standards would "hand[] the clean tech future to China and forc[e] Americans to pay more at the pump," Reuters reported.

Enforcement caveat: POLITICO noted that Congress last year repealed civil penalties for missing CAFE averages in a major tax-and-spending bill, which University of Maryland professor Joshua Linn said effectively turned the standards into more of a "suggestion" driven by business choices rather than fines. Experts still expect court challenges to the revised rules, as with earlier Trump-era rollbacks of EPA vehicle climate rules.

What's next: Watch for the final rule package Monday, the published model-year mpg tables and effective dates, any immediate lawsuits from states or environmental groups, and how Ford, GM, Stellantis and other makers describe production plans once the text is public. Until the Federal Register filing appears, treat the 34.5 mpg figure and cost/emissions estimates as proposal-level detail reported by major outlets, not as confirmed final-rule language.

Method note: US Brief digests are AI-assisted from the US Brief desk. We synthesize reputable reporting with cited sources; we do not invent quotes, figures, or forecasts.

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Trump says he approved fuel-economy rules ending Biden EV push; DOT to finalize Monday

President Donald Trump said Saturday he approved new vehicle fuel-economy standards that terminate what he calls the Biden administration's EV mandate. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the final rules arrive Monday. A prior DOT proposal would cut the 2031 fleet target to about 34.5 mpg from Biden's 50.4 mpg.

By US Brief desk · Updated 2026-09-26T17:10:00-07:00

AI-assisted digests from the US Brief desk. Synthesizes reputable reporting with cited sources; not a wire service. Corrections welcomed.

Exterior of the Ford Wayne Stamping and Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan (file photo)

President Donald Trump said Saturday he has approved new vehicle fuel-economy standards that, in his words, terminate the Biden administration's "EV mandate." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amplified the announcement and said "a major victory for America's auto workers is coming Monday," when the Department of Transportation is expected to finalize the rules, Reuters and POLITICO reported.

What Trump said: In a Truth Social post quoted by CNBC and POLITICO, Trump wrote that the new standards "will take the waste out of building cars in America" and mean "LOWER PRICES," claiming every manufacturer from General Motors to Ford to Stellantis wants to build in the United States. The final rule text was not immediately available, and White House officials did not immediately answer questions, POLITICO said.

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