CHAOS IN DC After MAJOR Senate Vote — Democrats STORM OUT
In a bold move to assert federal authority and push back against overreaching state regulations, the U.S. Senate—under Republican control—voted Thursday to overturn controversial Biden-era waivers that granted California sweeping power to dictate vehicle emissions standards. The decision effectively nullifies the Environmental Protection Agency’s last-minute approval of California’s plan to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
According to CNN, the vote marks a significant victory for constitutional governance, energy freedom, and consumer choice—values long championed by conservatives and now under attack by radical environmental policies cloaked in bureaucratic overreach.
Predictably, California’s Democrat leadership responded with fury. Governor Gavin Newsom, a vocal proponent of climate alarmism, denounced the Senate’s decision as “illegal,” claiming, “Republicans went around their own parliamentarian to defy decades of precedent. We won’t stand by as Trump Republicans make America smoggy again — undoing work that goes back to the days of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — all while ceding our economic future to China.”
Newsom’s reference to Reagan may strike constitutionalists as ironic, given Reagan’s consistent opposition to government overreach and central planning—hallmarks of California’s recent regulatory crusade.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta echoed Newsom’s alarmist rhetoric, vowing legal action. “The weaponization of the Congressional Review Act to attack California’s waivers is just another part of the continuous, partisan campaign against California’s efforts to protect the public and the planet from harmful pollution,” he said, accusing Republicans of partisanship while defending unilateral climate mandates. “We need to hold the line on strong emissions standards and keep the waivers in place, and we will sue to defend California’s waivers.”
Senator Adam Schiff, a longtime Democrat operative from California, warned that the move could set a legislative precedent, stating, “If this gambit works, it will not be the last time this tactic is used.” He accused Republicans of catering to oil interests and undermining Senate norms—ironic, considering Democrats’ repeated efforts to eliminate the filibuster when it suited their agenda.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer characterized the vote as “going nuclear,” asserting, “It’s overruling the parliamentarian. And second, what goes around comes around.” His remarks underscore the tension among Democrats now confronting the very procedural tactics they have often sought to erode.
Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico issued a dire warning, claiming the vote could unravel the entire federal regulatory framework. “If Senate Republicans force a vote on the California Clean Air Act Waivers, they set a precedent that will allow Congress to overturn nearly any agency decision nationwide,” Heinrich said. “This gross overreach would threaten to destroy our permitting and regulatory system.”
Conservatives, however, dismissed the hysteria as political theater and hypocrisy.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) defended the vote as both lawful and necessary. “This is a novel and narrow issue that deals with the Government Accountability Office and whether or not they ought to be able to determine what is a rule and what isn’t, or whether the administration and the Congress ought to be able to make that decision.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) took direct aim at California’s plan, calling it a dangerous experiment in government overreach. “California’s EV mandates ban the sale of gas-powered cars and trucks. They threaten the freedom of every American to choose what they drive,” Barrasso said, noting that electric vehicles currently represent only 7% of the national auto market and just 20% in California. “Yet California’s radical mandates require 35% of all vehicle sales to be electric by 2026 — six months from now. By 2035, it jumps to 100%.”
As President Donald Trump continues restoring accountability and reining in bloated federal agencies, Republican lawmakers are making it clear: America’s economic future will not be dictated by California’s ideological extremism. This Senate vote signals a broader return to constitutional principles—ensuring that decisions affecting every American are made with transparency, restraint, and respect for individual freedom.