Trump’s Action Ends CAFE Standards Push, Giving Automakers A Break
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump made a big move to change the nation’s fuel efficiency rules. He announced a plan to roll back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that were put in place under President Biden.
Framing it as a win for consumer choice and affordability, Trump said from the White House that he was “terminating” the old rules, calling them costly and meddlesome. This decision takes the pressure off automakers to focus on electric vehicles and marks a major shift in how the federal government oversees the kinds of cars and trucks Americans drive.
With Trump’s new plan, carmakers would only need to hit an average of about 34.5 miles per gallon for their light-duty vehicles by the 2031 model year. That’s a big step back from the previous target, which aimed for a much higher 50.4 miles per gallon in the same time frame.
How Automakers Are Responding to the New CAFE Rules
Big names in the auto industry mostly welcomed the change. Executives from Ford, GM, and Stellantis even showed up at the White House, standing together with the President for the announcement. Ford’s CEO Jim Farley called the rollback a win for customers and common sense. He added that the company likes how the standards now better match what real people are actually buying, hinting that the old CAFE deadlines just didn’t reflect what’s happening in the market.
At the heart of the debate is a tricky trade-off: lower upfront car prices versus the long-term impact on our health and the environment. With new cars now averaging about $49,766 as of October, a break in prices is definitely appealing to families already stretched thin by rising costs. But not everyone’s convinced it’s a good deal.
Why People Are Worried About the New CAFE Rules
Environmental groups didn’t waste any time speaking out against the proposal, saying rolling back the CAFE program will end up hurting everyday Americans. Katherine García, who leads the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program, didn’t hold back: “This rollback would move the auto industry backwards, keeping polluting cars on our roads for years to come and threatening the health of millions of Americans, particularly children and the elderly,” she warned. Their big worry is that relaxing these rules means much more smog and carbon pollution over the next decade.
This move is the latest in President Trump’s effort to reverse the previous administration’s push for electric vehicles, a shift he’s never been shy about criticizing. Trump’s team is betting that people just want to stick with gas cars and that the market, not the government, should decide what we drive.
