Top officials in the Trump administration spent the weekend touting new efforts to make cars more affordable for American families by slashing regulations that have driven up vehicle costs, particularly those tied to electric vehicle (EV) mandates imposed under the Biden era.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer visited the Detroit Auto Show on Saturday, concluding a Midwest tour that also included visits to a Ford truck factory and a Jeep plant in Ohio.
The three cabinet officials promoted the administration’s aggressive rollback of federal EV mandates and emissions requirements — a move they say is already making a difference at the dealership level.
“These rules will bring car prices down and allow car companies to offer products that Americans want to buy,” Duffy said. “This is not a war on EVs. It’s a return to consumer choice. We shouldn’t use government policy to encourage EV purchases while penalizing combustion engines.”
President Trump, now one year into his second term, has made affordability a central issue heading into the 2026 midterms. While inflation has cooled in some sectors, the cost of new vehicles continues to be a pain point. The average price of a new vehicle hit a record $50,326 in December, according to Cox Automotive, as automakers have shifted away from entry-level models in favor of larger, more expensive trucks and SUVs.
The Trump administration has responded by dismantling key components of the Biden EV agenda. In 2025, Trump signed legislation repealing the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles, rescinded California’s authority to impose separate EV mandates, and canceled penalties against automakers who fail to meet federal fuel efficiency targets.
Lee Zeldin, head of the EPA, defended the changes by framing them as a correction to overreach. “The government should not be forcing, requiring, mandating that the market go in a direction other than what the American consumer is demanding,” Zeldin said.
Despite the sweeping policy shift and new tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, new car sales still rose 2.4% in 2025, reaching 16.2 million units.
Critics, including Democrats and environmental groups, argue that rolling back EV incentives and imposing auto tariffs could harm consumers in the long run. Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at NRDC, claimed the policies will line the pockets of oil companies. “The oil industry will rake in billions more from cash-strapped Americans who can’t afford to spend more to fuel up their car or truck,” Harris said.
But Greer pushed back, saying car prices are starting to trend downward. “Whatever effects those tariffs may have on various parts of the supply chain, they’re not really getting down to the consumer,” he said.
The administration is also finalizing a pair of regulatory changes: one from the Department of Transportation that would roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards, and another from the EPA that eliminates federal vehicle tailpipe emissions requirements altogether.
The DOT estimates its rollback could reduce the average up-front cost of a vehicle by $930. However, internal projections show that it may increase fuel consumption by up to 100 billion gallons through 2050 and could add as much as $185 billion in fuel costs nationwide.
Still, officials like Duffy say the trade-off is worth it. “People deserve the freedom to buy the kind of car they want — without being punished for it,” he said.
The post Trump Admin Showcases Push to Lower Car Prices, Shift Away From EV Mandates appeared first on Real News Now.
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