Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is voicing her support for California’s emission waivers, a program granted under federal law that allows the state to set its own regulations on emissions from cars and trucks. On Monday, she warned that the waivers are in danger of being repealed by the Trump administration and Hill Republicans.
Pelosi wrote on X: “It is regrettable that Senate Republicans are ready to use a nuclear option to harm the air our children breathe in California. In preparing to ignore the judgement of the GAO and overrule their parliamentarian, Senate Republicans are setting in motion a dangerous precedent.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) used similar language in his letter to Senate GOP leadership: “[S]uch an action would be a procedural nuclear option — a dramatic break from Senate precedent with profound institutional consequences.”
It is regrettable that Senate Republicans are ready to use a nuclear option to harm the air our children breathe in California.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 5, 2025
In preparing to ignore the judgement of the GAO and overrule their parliamentarian, Senate Republicans are setting in motion a dangerous precedent. pic.twitter.com/fE5A27v6vr
MAGA supporters are predictably slamming Pelosi, one of their chief antagonists, for her comments. As one replied: “Over regulation is destroying California. Read the room. Less regulation, more effectiveness.”
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Congressional Review Act Resolutions which block the California Air Emissions Rules.
(California is, or was, the only state permitted to set its own emissions standards, but a major concern among the opposition is the domino effect the state can effect: under Section 177 of the emissions waivers rules, other states are allowed to adopt California’s motor vehicle emissions standards. At least a dozen states have adopted all or some of the standards.)
As seen below, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said of his Democratic colleagues who voted in favor of keeping the regulations: “While sometimes government can be a help, it can often be a hinderance,” and referred to the emissions regulations as a “dubious scheme.”
Senate Republicans are continuing to reverse burdensome Biden-era regulations and get government out of the way of American families and businesses. pic.twitter.com/QqTu1rw1bJ
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) May 6, 2025
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