It can be easy to forget in a midterm election year, but presidents have immense power to drive up consumer costs.
asserted
presidents → forget → costs
President Joe Biden was doing exactly that for car buyers until President Donald Trump took back the White House.
asserted
Trump → do → House
This week, the Transportation Department took another step toward making it easier for Americans to buy the cars they want at affordable prices.
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they → take → prices
On Sept. 28, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lowered the projected 2031 fleet requirement from approximately 50 miles per gallon to 35.
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Administration → lower → 35
That still represents an increase from roughly 30 miles per gallon in 2024.
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That → represent → 2024
The new rule will give manufacturers greater freedom to build affordable vehicles that fit their customers’ needs.
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that → give → needs
Biden approached the automobile market from the opposite direction.
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Biden → approach → direction
Rather than letting buyers determine which vehicles manufacturers produced, his administration used federal regulations to push manufacturers toward electric vehicles.
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administration → let → vehicles
The Biden Environmental Protection Agency imposed stringent greenhouse gas restrictions, while his Transportation Department imposed increasingly demanding fuel economy standards.
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Department → impose → standards
Together, Biden’s fuel economy rules, emissions restrictions, and subsidies created a backdoor electric vehicle mandate.
asserted
rules → create → mandate
His message to automakers was clear: Build more electric cars, whether customers want them or not.
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customers → build → them
Companies that fell short of the fuel economy requirements could buy compliance credits from electric vehicle manufacturers.
uncertain
that → fall → manufacturers
That meant companies selling gasoline-powered cars paid their electric competitors to satisfy Washington.
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companies → mean → Washington
Those payments added to the cost of selling conventional cars.
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payments → add → cars
When manufacturers passed those costs along, Americans buying the cars they wanted helped subsidize the electric cars Democrats wanted them to buy.
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them → pass → cars
Americans rejected this scheme first with their wallets and then at the ballot box.
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Americans → reject → box
While electric vehicles’ share of new vehicle sales grew during the Biden administration, from approximately 3% in 2021 to 8% in 2024, the pace of growth was nowhere near fast enough to reach the 50% target Biden had set for 2030.
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Biden → grow → 2030
Polling also showed Americans were not ready to give up their gasoline-powered vehicles.
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Americans → show → vehicles
A clear majority, 59%, opposed phasing out new gasoline-powered cars and trucks by 2035.
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majority → oppose → 2035
Since the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for new electric vehicle purchases expired in September 2025, electric vehicle sales have headed down, not up.
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sales → expire → September
The average new electric vehicle sold for nearly $55,000 in August, almost 10% more than the average non-electric vehicle.
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vehicle → sell → vehicle
Buyers paying more are also getting more problems — Consumer Reports finds that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have about 80% more reported problems than gasoline-only cars, on average.
asserted
vehicles → pay → cars
Biden’s answer was to pressure manufacturers to build more of these expensive vehicles anyway.
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answer → pressure → vehicles
Biden pushed manufacturers to pour money into electric vehicles rather than focusing on affordable cars their customers wanted.
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customers → push → cars
Families shopping for transportation were being forced to help finance a political project.
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Families → shop → project
Trump’s new rule puts those families first.
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rule → put → families
The administration estimates the new regulations will reduce the cost of a new vehicle by approximately $1,300.
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regulations → estimate → 1,300
Lower compliance costs give manufacturers room to lower prices.
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costs → give → prices
Greater flexibility lets them devote more resources to the cars, trucks, and SUVs Americans choose to buy.
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Americans → let → cars
A contractor who needs a pickup, a rural family traveling long distances, and a young worker buying a first car deserve vehicles designed around their needs and budgets.
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who → need → needs
Voters are understandably frustrated with the high cost of gas and groceries.
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Voters → frustrate → gas
Democratic states such as California, New York, and Massachusetts have much higher living costs than fast-growing Republican states such as Florida, Texas, and South Carolina.
asserted
states → have → Florida
Whether through environmental regulations, labor laws, or taxes, Democrats make everyday necessities more expensive.
asserted
necessities → make → regulations
Trump’s new fuel economy standards are a reminder that different policies can deliver more affordable choices.
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policies → deliver → choices
The Aporia
