The Senate recently voted 51-44 to overturn California's electric-vehicle mandate under the Congressional Review Act, defiance against the warnings from the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office. Despite initial hesitance from moderate Republicans, leadership successfully rallied their support through closed-door meetings. The decision sparked procedural disputes, particularly between Senate leadership, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republicans advocating for the CRA. Majority Whip John Barrasso emphasized that the GAO does not possess veto power, asserting the Senate's authority in navigating this contentious legislation.
"We're going to assert the authority of the Senate today to use the Congressional Review Act on rules that have been submitted to Congress," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso on Wednesday told NOTUS.
"The GAO does not have a veto power," Barrasso asserted, reinforcing the Republican stance to proceed despite the warnings from the Senate parliamentarian.
Senators then squabbled overnight in a series of wonky procedural votes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer repeatedly sought to adjourn or break for recess, pushing back hours.
By Wednesday, the holdouts came around. Ahead of the vote, Collins said she was 'likely' to support the measure, noting she supports the underlying effort to nix the California waivers.
#senate-vote #electric-vehicles #california-mandate #congressional-review-act #republican-leadership
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