The bill
Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2025
HR. 2165, 119th Congress — read as touching Electric Vehicles & Batteries.
Sponsored by
Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5]
ID: W000798
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 2165, 119th Congress — read as touching Electric Vehicles & Batteries.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
The alignment
This bill's text tracks the "Environmental Protection Agency" section, p. 458-460 of the Mandate for Leadership.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1317)
March 26, 2025
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater. The "Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2025" - because what the American people really need is more choices, not less pollution.
Let's dissect this farce. The bill claims to amend the Clean Air Act to prevent tailpipe regulations from limiting the availability of new motor vehicles. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to gut environmental regulations and line the pockets of the automotive industry.
The "choice" in question is not about giving consumers more options, but rather allowing manufacturers to continue producing gas-guzzling monstrosities that spew toxic fumes into our air. The bill prohibits the EPA from mandating specific technologies or limiting the availability of new motor vehicles based on engine type. Translation: the industry gets to dictate what's "available" and what's not, while the environment takes a backseat.
The affected industries are obvious: automotive manufacturers, oil companies, and their lobbyists. They're salivating at the prospect of deregulation and the subsequent profits that come with it. The compliance requirements are laughable - the EPA has 24 months to revise regulations to conform to this new "law." That's plenty of time for industry insiders to water down any meaningful changes.
Enforcement mechanisms? Ha! There aren't any. Penalties? Don't make me laugh. This bill is designed to ensure that polluters can continue to operate with impunity, while the rest of us choke on their exhaust fumes.
The economic and operational impacts are clear: more pollution, more greenhouse gas emissions, and a continued reliance on fossil fuels. But hey, at least the industry will be happy - and that's all that matters, right?
In medical terms, this bill is like prescribing a patient with terminal cancer a healthy dose of asbestos. It's a death sentence for the environment, and a windfall for those who profit from destruction.
To the sponsors of this bill (Walberg, Fulcher, Bilirakis, and Allen), I say: congratulations on your latest attempt to prostitute yourselves to corporate interests. You must be so proud. To the voters who elect these clowns, I say: keep drinking the Kool-Aid. You're getting exactly what you deserve.
Diagnosis: Terminal stupidity, with a side of greed and corruption. Prognosis: bleak.
Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 10 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: F000469
Top Contributors
20
ID: B001257
Top Contributors
21
ID: A000372
Top Contributors
21
ID: B001306
Top Contributors
23
ID: M000871
Top Contributors
22
ID: L000566
Top Contributors
27
ID: B000668
Top Contributors
45
ID: G000568
Top Contributors
20
ID: B001321
Top Contributors
21
ID: L000585
Top Contributors
34
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 36 nodes and 41 connections
Total contributions: $41
Showing top 19 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 2 helped, 1 harmed.
Section 2(a)(2)(B)(ii) prohibits regulations that result in limited availability of new motor vehicles based on engine type, which would hinder EV adoption by preventing tailpipe standards that favor EVs over internal combustion engines.
Section 2(a)(2)(B) ensures tailpipe regulations do not limit availability of new motor vehicles by engine type, protecting traditional internal-combustion automakers from regulations that could reduce ICE vehicle sales.
By preventing tailpipe regulations that limit availability based on engine type (Sec 2(a)(2)(B)(ii)), the bill supports continued demand for gasoline and diesel vehicles, benefiting oil and gas producers.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.
AI Analysis:
"HR 2165 aligns closely with Project 2025's mobile source regulation objectives by seeking to limit EPA's authority to mandate specific technologies or restrict vehicle availability based on engine type, thereby promoting consumer choice and reducing regulatory burdens—core themes in the Project 2025 agenda for the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality."
— 425 — Environmental Protection Agency are statutorily required, and remove any regulatory differences between attainment and maintenance that are not explicitly required by law. l Streamline the process for state and local governments to demonstrate that their federally funded highway projects will not interfere with NAAQS attainment. l Adopt policies to prevent abuse of EPA’s CAA “error correction” authority.20 EPA historically has used this to coerce states into adopting its favored policies on pain of imposition of a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP). l Limit EPA’s reliance on CAA § 30121 general rulemaking authority to ensure that it is not abused to issue regulations for which EPA lacks substantive authority elsewhere in the statute. l If possible, return the standard-setting role to Congress. Climate Change l Remove the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) for any source category that is not currently being regulated. The overall reporting program imposes significant burdens on small businesses and companies that are not being regulated. This is either a pointless burden or a sword-of- Damocles threat of future regulation, neither of which is appropriate. l Establish a system, with an appropriate deadline, to update the 2009 endangerment finding. l Establish a significant emissions rate (SER) for greenhouse gasses (GHGs). Regulating Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act22 l Repeal Biden Administration implementing regulations for the AIM Act that are unnecessarily stringent and costly. l Refrain from granting petitions from opportunistic manufacturers to add new restrictions that further skew the market toward costlier refrigerants and equipment. — 426 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Conduct realistic cost assessments that reflect actual consumer experiences instead of the current unrealistic ones claiming that the program is virtually cost-free. Mobile Source Regulation by the Office of Transportation and Air Quality l Establish GHG car standards under Department of Transportation (DOT) leadership that properly consider cost, choice, safety, and national security. l Review the existing “ramp rate” for car standards to ensure that it is actually achievable. l Include life cycle emissions of electric vehicles and consider all of their environmental impacts. l Restore the position that California’s waiver applies only to California- specific issues like ground-level ozone, not global climate issues. l Ensure that other states can adopt California’s standards only for traditional/criteria pollutants, not greenhouse gases. l Stop the use of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to increase standards on airplanes. l Reconsider the Cleaner Trucks Initiative to balance the goal of driving down emissions without creating significant costs or complex burdens on the industry. Air Permitting Reforms for New Source Review (Pre-Construction Per- mits) and Title V (Operating Permits) l Develop reforms to ensure that when a facility improves efficiency within its production process, new permitting requirements are not triggered. l Restore the Trump EPA position on Once-In, Always-In (that major sources can convert to area sources when affiliated emissions standards are met). l Revisit permitting and enforcement assumptions that sources will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; this artificially inflates a source’s potential to emit (PTE), which can result in more stringent permit terms.
AI Analysis:
"HR 2165 aligns with Project 2025's goal of limiting EPA's regulatory overreach under the Clean Air Act, particularly by preventing technology mandates and availability restrictions that could stem from expansive interpretations of EPA authority, reflecting a shared objective to curb agency abuse of rulemaking power."
— 425 — Environmental Protection Agency are statutorily required, and remove any regulatory differences between attainment and maintenance that are not explicitly required by law. l Streamline the process for state and local governments to demonstrate that their federally funded highway projects will not interfere with NAAQS attainment. l Adopt policies to prevent abuse of EPA’s CAA “error correction” authority.20 EPA historically has used this to coerce states into adopting its favored policies on pain of imposition of a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP). l Limit EPA’s reliance on CAA § 30121 general rulemaking authority to ensure that it is not abused to issue regulations for which EPA lacks substantive authority elsewhere in the statute. l If possible, return the standard-setting role to Congress. Climate Change l Remove the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) for any source category that is not currently being regulated. The overall reporting program imposes significant burdens on small businesses and companies that are not being regulated. This is either a pointless burden or a sword-of- Damocles threat of future regulation, neither of which is appropriate. l Establish a system, with an appropriate deadline, to update the 2009 endangerment finding. l Establish a significant emissions rate (SER) for greenhouse gasses (GHGs). Regulating Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act22 l Repeal Biden Administration implementing regulations for the AIM Act that are unnecessarily stringent and costly. l Refrain from granting petitions from opportunistic manufacturers to add new restrictions that further skew the market toward costlier refrigerants and equipment.
AI Analysis:
"HR 2165 aligns closely with Project 2025's mobile source regulation objectives by emphasizing consumer choice, cost considerations, and limiting regulatory mandates on vehicle technology—particularly opposing engine-type restrictions that could limit availability. Both seek to balance emissions goals with practical industry and consumer impacts."
— 426 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Conduct realistic cost assessments that reflect actual consumer experiences instead of the current unrealistic ones claiming that the program is virtually cost-free. Mobile Source Regulation by the Office of Transportation and Air Quality l Establish GHG car standards under Department of Transportation (DOT) leadership that properly consider cost, choice, safety, and national security. l Review the existing “ramp rate” for car standards to ensure that it is actually achievable. l Include life cycle emissions of electric vehicles and consider all of their environmental impacts. l Restore the position that California’s waiver applies only to California- specific issues like ground-level ozone, not global climate issues. l Ensure that other states can adopt California’s standards only for traditional/criteria pollutants, not greenhouse gases. l Stop the use of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to increase standards on airplanes. l Reconsider the Cleaner Trucks Initiative to balance the goal of driving down emissions without creating significant costs or complex burdens on the industry. Air Permitting Reforms for New Source Review (Pre-Construction Per- mits) and Title V (Operating Permits) l Develop reforms to ensure that when a facility improves efficiency within its production process, new permitting requirements are not triggered. l Restore the Trump EPA position on Once-In, Always-In (that major sources can convert to area sources when affiliated emissions standards are met). l Revisit permitting and enforcement assumptions that sources will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; this artificially inflates a source’s potential to emit (PTE), which can result in more stringent permit terms. — 427 — Environmental Protection Agency l Defend the position that petitions to object to Title V should not be used to second-guess previous state decisions. l Clarify the relationship between New Source Review and Title V to ensure that Title V is used only as intended by Congress. CAA Section 11123 l Restore the position that EPA cannot regulate a new pollutant from an already regulated source category without making predicate findings for that new pollutant. l Institute automatic withdrawal of any proposed rule that is not finalized within the statutorily prescribed one-year period. l Revise general implementing regulations for existing source regulatory authority under CAA § 111(d)24 to ensure that EPA gives full meaning to Congress’s direction, including source-specific application, and that the state planning program is flexible, federalist, and deferential to the states. CAA Section 112 (Hazardous Air Pollutants)25 l Unregulated point or non-point source (fugitive emissions) of an already regulated hazardous air pollutant do not require a Maximum Available Control Technology (MACT) standard. l Ensure that Section 112 regulations are harmonized with Section 111 regulations that apply to the same sector/sources. l Ensure that cost-benefit analysis is focused on a regulation’s targeted pollutant and separately identify ancillary or co-benefits. Radiation l Assess and update the agency’s radiation standards so that they align with those of other agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation, as well as international standards. l Level-set past, misleading statements regarding radiological risk and reassess the Linear Non-Threshold standard.
Showing 3 of 5 policy matches
Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.
Tradeable Energy Performance Standards Act
Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2025
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers".