MATSUI, MARKEY, DAVIDS AND COLLEAGUES DEMAND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SCRAP PLAN TO WEAKEN VEHICLE FUEL EFFICIENCY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D-KS) led 78 total lawmakers in calling on the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to withdraw the proposed rollback of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards, as this attack on the standards would increase costs for hardworking Americans, reduce vehicle efficiency, and increase our reliance on foreign oil imports.

"Historically, strong CAFE standards have driven American innovation, from hybridization and advanced powertrains to aerodynamic breakthroughs," wrote the lawmakers. "We currently have widely available and well-proven tools to keep improving fuel economy, which save Americans money at the pump and deliver more affordable, efficient, cleaner vehicles."

Since 1975, fuel efficiency standards have saved American drivers thousands of dollars in fuel costs. The existing CAFE standards, finalized under the Biden Administration, were expected to save Americans more than $84 billion in fuel costs and other health benefits.

The Trump Administration's proposed rollback of the CAFE standards would reduce the required fleetwide average fuel economy from 50.4 miles per gallon for Model Year (MY) 2031 vehicles to just 34.5 miles per gallon. This would effectively eliminate any requirement for automakers to improve fuel economy and is a clear violation of the requirement in law to set the maximum feasible standards, as automakers are already exceeding the proposed MY 2031 standards with a fleetwide average of 35.4 miles per gallon in MY 2024.

"We strongly urge the Department of Transportation to withdraw this misguided CAFE proposal and maintain the existing fuel economy standards," the lawmakers concluded. "Weakening the fuel economy standards and forcing Americans to purchase more expensive, gas-guzzling vehicles would exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis and serve as yet another betrayal of President Trump's promise to lower energy costs for the American people."

In addition to the rollback of fuel economy requirements, the Trump Administration is also proposing to eliminate fuel-efficiency credits that help lower the cost of manufacturing electric vehicles-yet another thinly veiled attack on EVs.

This follows Republicans' Big Ugly Bill, which eliminated penalties for automakers that fail to comply with fuel economy standards and instead sell vehicles that will cost drivers more at the pump. This means there's effectively no requirement to follow the standards at all-leaving drivers with bigger bills and the United States more reliant on oil imports.

Full text of the letter is available HERE.

Congresswoman Matsui has long advocated for cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable vehicles. In September 2025, she led over 100 lawmakers in opposing the rollback of EPA vehicle pollution standards. She leads bipartisan efforts to strengthen the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program, which provides states, local governments, and schools with funding to replace old diesel vehicles and school buses with cleaner alternatives. She has also repeatedly led efforts to preserve California's authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate in-state vehicle pollution.

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