Republicans' Brazen Attack on California's Clean Air Endangers Every American's Right to Breathe

California’s air, once thick with smog, tells a story of relentless progress. For decades, the state’s clean vehicle standards have cut pollution, protected lives, and inspired the world. On May 22, 2025, Senate Republicans, spurred by President Trump, voted to gut these protections, twisting the Congressional Review Act to target California’s Clean Air Act waivers. This move threatens not only the state but every community’s right to breathe freely.

Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta responded with fire. They pledged a federal lawsuit to halt this brazen attack, one that defies law and logic. Their stance carries a truth Californians live every day: clean air is a victory earned through struggle, not a gift to be snatched away by political games. Why does this matter beyond state lines? California’s innovations shape a healthier future for all.

Since the 1970s, the Clean Air Act has empowered California to set tougher emissions rules, a necessity born from choking smog and soaring asthma rates. These waivers are lifelines, not loopholes, for neighborhoods battered by pollution. Senate Republicans argue they’re leveling the playing field, but their vote dismisses science and sacrifices lives for short-term political wins.

The Senate’s attempt to strip California’s waivers via the Congressional Review Act lacks any legal grounding. Nonpartisan authorities, from the Government Accountability Office to the Senate Parliamentarian, have made it clear: these waivers are statutory orders, not rules open to CRA meddling. By ignoring this, Republicans have trampled decades of precedent, a move Newsom labeled outright illegal.

California has faced this before. In 2019, the Trump administration revoked the Advanced Clean Cars waiver, only to lose in court. The Biden team restored it in 2022, and the Supreme Court refused to touch the issue in 2024. The state’s track record is ironclad, with reductions in nitrogen oxides and particulates exceeding 60 percent since 1990. Yet Trump’s Senate allies press on, aiming to dismantle a system that saves lives and drives progress.

Some claim California’s rules force a national standard, hiking costs for drivers and automakers. This argument falls flat. Seventeen states plus Washington, D.C., embrace California’s standards, spurring innovation from companies like General Motors and Rivian. The true price tag lies in pollution’s toll: hospital visits, lost workdays, and climate-fueled disasters. Clean air is the smarter investment.

California doesn’t just fight for cleaner air; it proves what ambition can achieve. Programs like Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks push for electric vehicles, critical as wildfires and heatwaves intensify. A North Carolina State University study estimates state-led efforts could slash U.S. emissions by nearly half by 2050, at minimal cost. From New Jersey to Washington, 23 jurisdictions follow California’s lead with net-zero goals, showing states can act when federal will falters.

Trump’s team offers a different path. Their so-called cooperative federalism hides a deregulatory agenda, challenging state climate laws and gutting Clean Air Act protections. The Senate’s CRA vote fits this pattern, eroding the federal-state balance that has fueled environmental gains since the 1970s. Their vision prioritizes fossil fuel profits over public health and innovation.

The divide is impossible to ignore. Congressional Democrats and state leaders back clean energy, reflecting growing public demand. Senate Republicans, voting in lockstep, reject science and stall progress. This split, widening since the 1990s, pits forward-thinking action against a stubborn defense of the status quo. California’s battle embodies the choice we face.

California’s lawsuit defends more than waivers; it upholds a principle. States must have the freedom to innovate when Washington prioritizes politics over people. The Clean Air Act, passed with bipartisan support in 1970, was built on this idea. Undoing California’s authority would betray that legacy and invite a future of dirtier air and weaker climate defenses.

The impact hits close to home. Pollution burdens children, seniors, and low-income families most, driving up healthcare costs and shortening lives. California’s standards have already eased this suffering, and their influence lifts every state. If the Senate’s vote prevails, we face resurgent smog and stalled clean energy. Yet California’s history—from cap-and-trade to EV networks—shows what’s possible when resolve meets action.

This moment demands our attention. California’s defiance invites every American to reject leaders who trade health for headlines. The courts will weigh the lawsuit, but the larger fight is ours. We must protect our air, our communities, and our planet from those who would drag us backward.