Patriot Brief

  • What Happened: President Trump rescinded Obama's 2009 EPA "endangerment finding," which the administration says will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion and lower new vehicle costs by over $2,400.
  • Why It Matters: Trump called it "the single largest deregulatory action in American history," eliminating federal regulations on greenhouse gases from vehicle tailpiles.
  • Bottom Line: The move ends pressure on automakers to shift toward electric vehicles and gives families real money back by reducing regulatory costs.

President Trump just delivered the largest act of deregulation in American history, and families are about to save thousands of dollars.

The EPA finalized the repeal of Obama's 2009 "endangerment finding," which served as the legal foundation for federal regulations targeting greenhouse gases. The Trump administration says this will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion and lower the cost of new vehicles by over $2,400.

That is real money. For families already stretched by inflation, $2,400 on a vehicle is not small. That is breathing room. That is flexibility. That is capital that can go toward savings, groceries, tuition, or investing back into a household instead of being absorbed by regulatory costs.

Trump celebrated the move at a White House event. "That's a big statement, in American history. And I think we can add the words 'by far,'" the president said.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accused the Obama administration of embarking on "an ideological crusade" that "set off the most costly regulatory power grab our country has ever experienced" and "strangled entire sectors of the United States economy, including the auto industry."

"No longer will automakers be pressured to shift their fleets toward electric vehicles, vehicles that are still sitting unsold on dealer lots all across America," Zeldin said.

Less regulatory burden means more consumer choice and less pressure on industries like auto manufacturing that have been squeezed for years. When regulation shrinks, production expands. When costs fall, families benefit. And when families keep more of their own money, it circulates back into the economy.

Environmentalists are furious. They claim Trump is sacrificing public health and safety. They threatened lawsuits. They called it a dark day for science.

Trump had a message for them. "Don't worry about it. This has nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, a giant scam. This was a rip-off of the country by Obama and Biden."

The fossil fuel and energy industries support the repeal. Farming groups support it. And families who just got $2,400 back on their next vehicle purchase should support it too.

This is what policy looks like when affordability is the priority. Obama made cars more expensive to push a climate agenda. Trump just made them affordable again.