{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cruz-lummis-demand-end-to-bidens-electric-vehicle-mandate", "Cruz, Lummis Demand End to Biden\u2019s Electric Vehicle Mandate", "2023-12-07", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", "cruz", "https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), along with several of their Senate Western Caucus colleagues, sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) urging Congressional leadership to defund the Biden administration\u2019s electric vehicle (EV) rule, which requires vehicles to be fully electric by 2032. This rule will affect more than two-thirds of vehicles sold in the U.S. Defunding the EV mandate would protect the freedom of Americans in Texas, the west, and across the country to choose the cars or trucks they drive and remove excessive costs.\n\nIn the letter the senators wrote, \u201cNot only would the EPA\u2019s proposed regulation hurt America\u2019s national security, but it would severely limit consumer choice for affordable vehicles that fit the needs of the average American. At a time of inflation, high interest rates, and rising costs, the last thing Americans need is to find both new and used vehicles unaffordable because of an EPA mandate.\u201d\n\nCosigners of the letter include Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Boozman (A-Ark.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) James Lankford (R-Kan.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).\n\nRead the full text of the letter here.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nThe EPA\u2019s mandate would require 67.5% of vehicles sold to be an EV in less than nine years, which is a steep increase from 2022 where less than 6% of all vehicles sold were EVs.\n\nThe mandate comes at a very high cost for hardworking people across the west:\n\no The average cost of an EV is $53,469, just $663 less than the median American income which is $54,132 according to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.\n\no A study found the cost of charging an EV is equivalent to $17 a gallon for traditional internal combustion vehicles.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cruz-lummis-demand-end-to-bidens-electric-vehicle-mandate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.303394954651594, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}