Story summary
On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced he would roll back fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, reversing rules set by the Biden administration. In a social media post, Trump claimed the rollback would lower car prices, save families thousands of dollars on new vehicles, and boost American manufacturing jobs. The move would relax requirements to an average of 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, down from the projected 50.4 mpg under Biden's regulations. Critics argue that the rollback could increase consumer costs at the pump and worsen air quality.
Written for “Trump Rolls Back Fuel Standards” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
Twenty-six states, including California and New York, have filed a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump’s administration after the US Department of Transportation lowered fuel economy standards for petrol-powered vehicles.
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Department → include → vehicles
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, challenges the Department of Transportation’s rollback of fuel economy standards to a fleet average fuel economy of 34.9 miles (56km) per gallon (3.78 litres) by model year 2031.
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lawsuit → file → year
Under the administration of former President Joe Biden, fuel economy standards were set at 50.4 miles (81km) per gallon by model year 2031.
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standards → set → year
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ban → push → prices
says he is rolling back Biden-era US fuel economy rules for cars
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he → say → cars
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the lawsuit, argued that the Trump administration improperly changed how federal regulators calculate fuel economy standards.
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regulators → lead → standards
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) bases standards on technological improvements that could make petrol-powered vehicles more efficient.
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vehicles → base → improvements
To do that, it first models the current fleet’s performance and then considers what additional actions manufacturers could take to improve their fuel economy in future model years above that.
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manufacturers → do → that
In past standards, including during the first Trump administration, NHTSA’s baseline fleet included the millions of electric vehicles that already run on US roads.
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that → include → roads
Bonta said the Transportation Department change ignores the existing slate of EVs, which makes it easier to justify weaker standards for petrol-powered vehicles, and called the approach “flawed” and “dramatically distorted”.
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it → say → approach
The lawsuit also alleges that NHTSA’s new rule is contrary to law and that NHTSA contravenes its mandate from Congress to set fuel-economy standards at their “maximum feasible” level.
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NHTSA → allege → level
The Transportation Department has said the change could save American taxpayers $138bn over the next five years.
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change → say → years
“The president started a war that has created volatility in oil markets, disrupted global energy supplies, and left families and businesses paying the price at the pump.
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that → start → pump
Yet, the Trump administration is attempting to gut fuel economy standards and force Americans to spend billions more on gas while poisoning the air in our communities,” Attorney General Bonta said in a statement.
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Bonta → attempt → statement
The rollback was applauded by car makers.
“We welcome the Administration’s efforts to reset the CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] regulations to more achievable targets that are better aligned with market realities,” said Shane Karr, senior vice president of public affairs at Stellantis North America.
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Karr → applaud → America
Second lawsuit
The litigation by the states came in tandem with a second lawsuit filed on Friday by progressive and climate groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen.
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litigation → come → Fund
“Trump’s lawless push to roll back key safeguards on fuel economy will pollute our air, and line the pockets of oil and auto CEOs.
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push → roll → CEOs
We are confident of stopping Trump’s CAFE standards rollback,” Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen said in a statement announcing the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Washington DC.
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which → stop → DC
Auto stocks were trending downward throughout the day, with Ford, General Motors and Toyota closing down around 1 percent.
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Ford → trend → day
Stellantis fell more than 6 percent amid reports of slumping sales.
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Stellantis → fall → sales
The Aporia
