President Joe Biden on Wednesday vetoed SJ Res. 11, a Republican-backed bill that would’ve rolled back a 2022 EPA rule that set stronger vehicle emissions standards to reduce air pollution set to take effect in model year 2027.
“Earlier today, President Biden vetoed SJ Resolution 11, the most recent attempt by congressional Republicans to pollute the air our children breathe,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a White House press briefing.
“Just think about it – while millions of Americans were taking shelter to escape unhealthy wildfire smoke made worse by climate change, congressional Republicans were pushing a bill to repeal the president’s efforts to make our air cleaner and safer.”
The final rule, which was adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency in December, sets “new emission standards that are significantly more stringent and that cover a wider range of heavy-duty engine operating conditions compared to today’s standards,” according to the EPA, which said the change is needed because emissions from those trucks are “important contributors to concentrations of ozone and particulate matter and their resulting threat to public health.”
Republicans were able to pass the measure through the Senate with the help of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin; California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein did not vote on the legislation. The House passed it about a month later in May.
A veto override would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers, a high threshold not expected to be reached.
Republicans criticize the emissions rule as overly burdensome, arguing it will hurt the trucking industry and have negative ripple effects through the economy. Democrats say the rule is needed to limit pollution and improve air quality across the US.
In a statement announcing the veto Wednesday, Biden wrote the EPA rule “cuts pollution, boosts public health, and advances environmental justice in communities across the country,” adding “It will prevent hundreds, if not thousands, of premature deaths; thousands of childhood asthma cases; and millions of missed school days every year.” Biden also tweeted a photo of him vetoing the bill from the Oval Office earlier Wednesday.
“President Biden won’t let congressional Republicans take us backwards in our fight for cleaner air – he vetoed this health-harming bill today, as I just mentioned,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday, pointing to additional steps Biden has taken since taking office to protect the environment, including provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to curb climate change.
The veto is the sixth of Biden’s presidency.
Previously, Biden vetoed legislation that would’ve overturned his student loan forgiveness program, a bill would’ve blocked a DC justice reform bill from taking effect, a bill overturning a retirement investment rule allowing managers to consider environmental, social and governance factors when picking investments, a measure that would’ve rescinded the administration’s landmark water rule, and a resolution that would’ve blocked the temporary suspension of tariffs on solar panel imports.
