The Trump administration on Thursday sued the state of California, claiming the state's zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions rules are illegal and preempted by federal law.

President Donald Trump shows a signed resolution approved by Congress to rescind the EPA's 2023 approval of California's plans to require a rising number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, and another resolution on California's low-NOx, or low-nitrogen oxide, regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The U.S. Transportation Department sued the California Air Resources Board in the U.S. District Court over vehicle rules that remain in place even after President Donald Trump signed legislation last year to overturn California’s Advanced Clean Cars II waiver to phase out gasoline-powered cars by 2035, but its prior rules remain in effect.