WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) released the Transportation Freedom Act, a new bill to provide an historic investment in American auto workers while making cars affordable for everyday Americans by eliminating government mandates that have caused vehicle prices to surge.
The Transportation Freedom Act is endorsed by Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Jim Justice (R-WV) and supported by General Motors, Stellantis, Toyota, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and American Trucking Associations
The Transportation Freedom Act would:
- Provide an historic investment in American auto workers in the form of a 200% tax deduction for wages paid to American auto workers up to $150,000 while preventing any company from using the funds saved for stock buybacks.
- Lower vehicle prices for consumers by slashing onerous mandates that have made cars unaffordable to everyday Americans , like the EPA ‘tailpipe rule’ and California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate.
- Save the federal government significant sums in both money and time by streamlining the nation’s regulatory process.
“Thanks to liberal bureaucrats who want to mandate what cars Americans can drive, states like mine are riddled with car lots filled with expensive EVs people simply don’t want and dormant factories that once employed millions of American workers. The only winner is China. It’s time to make sure cars sold in America are actually made in America and give Americans the freedom to choose the cars they actually can afford and want to drive—my bill just does that,” said Senator Moreno.
“The Biden administration spent four years ramming through Green New Scam policies and EV mandates that drove up costs for working families and pushed our auto manufacturing industry to the brink. With President Trump back in the White House, it’s imperative that we roll back these harmful regulations and restore fairness and opportunity for American workers and families. I’m proud to join this commonsense, America First legislation to strengthen the American auto industry and restore freedom of choice in the marketplace,” said Senator Sheehy.
“For decades, globalist interests have undermined our workers and taken our American auto industry for granted. While Indiana remains the second largest auto manufacturing state in the U.S., Green New Deal-style mandates from out-of-touch bureaucrats in Washington have hurt Hoosier families and sent jobs overseas. I’m proud to partner with Senator Moreno to ensure more cars are Made in America, Biden-era mandates are rolled back, and the Golden Age of manufacturing is swiftly kickstarted,” said Senator Banks.
“We appreciate Senator Moreno’s commitment to American auto manufacturing and jobs. GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market. GM has long supported consistency in emissions regulations that are aligned with market realities, and provisions of the Transportation Freedom Act would move us in that direction,” said General Motors.
“Senator Moreno was a highly successful auto dealer who knows our industry, and particularly the importance of durable policies that align with the market. To illustrate, the concepts of regulatory stability and consumer choice embedded in Titles 2 and 4 of the Transportation Freedom Act are critical components of a healthy domestic auto market that supports millions of American jobs. We appreciate Senator Moreno’s leadership and look forward to working with him and his colleagues as his bill is considered in the 119th Congress,” said Stellantis.
“The auto industry has been whipsawed by shifting emission regulations for decades. These swings have hurt auto companies, auto dealers and auto workers, ultimately driving up the cost of automobiles in America. The Transportation Freedom Act is a commonsense approach that will provide regulatory predictability. This will allow the auto industry to invest wisely in emission reduction technologies, while providing affordable choices for consumers,” said Mark Templin, EVP and COO of Toyota.
“NADA strongly supports Sen. Moreno’s proposal for a single, national fuel economy standard that is achievable, affordable, and maintains consumer vehicle choice. We commend Sen. Moreno for his leadership on this vital issue, and for standing up so prominently for the U.S. auto industry, its millions of employees, and the customers we proudly serve,” said Mike Stanton, President and CEO of NADA.
“Senator Moreno is focused on keeping the auto industry in America healthy and competitive and in a position to support our economic and national security. He sees what’s happening in the marketplace (credit his time as a car dealer) and appreciates the cutting-edge products automakers, suppliers, battery and semiconductor makers are developing and building – here at home. He also knows the headwinds the industry faces from mandates and China. His bill zeroes in on fixing some problematic regulations in a way that could put the U.S. on course for a single, more balanced and more achievable set of emissions standards,” said John Bozzella, President and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
“Sixty trucks today emit the same amount as one truck manufactured in 1988. The trucking industry has proven our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, but in recent years, some regulators have turned their backs on the collaborative model that made this monumental progress possible. The trucking industry commends Senator Bernie Moreno for introducing the Transportation Freedom Act, which would restore commonsense at EPA and put an end to states like California creating a patchwork of unachievable timelines and targets. His legislation will prevent price hikes for consumers, allow innovation to flourish, and foster achievable national standards that put us back on the path to lowering emissions without causing supply chain disruptions,” said Chris Spear, President and CEO of American Trucking Associations.
Read a one-pager on the Transportation Freedom Act HERE. Read the text of the bill HERE.