Senate Deals Biden Agenda Major Blow as Dems Jump Ship

The Biden administration's controversial vehicle emissions rule faced another setback as the Senate voted 53-47 to strike it down, drawing bipartisan opposition from both Democratic and Republican senators.

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined Republicans in rejecting the rule.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, the resolution's sponsor, criticized the rule as an example of "unelected bureaucrats asserting authority they don’t have" and imposing federal regulations on state matters.

“The Biden administration should have never introduced this rule. But now we, the policymaking branch of government, must end it,” Cramer stated.

U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix, appointed by former President Donald Trump, also ruled against the rule, stating that it was unauthorized as federal agencies cannot act without congressional authorization.

“If the people, through Congress, believe that the states should spend the time and money necessary to measure and report GHG emissions and set declining emission targets, they may do so by amending Section 150 or passing a new law,” Hendrix wrote in his ruling, referring to greenhouse gases.

He emphasized that agencies can only act within the scope of their authorized powers, and in this case, the Department of Transportation exceeded its authority in enacting the 2023 Rule.

The resolution now heads to the House, although President Joe Biden has indicated that he would veto it if it reaches his desk.