Gov. Gavin Newsom is already planning on pushing back against President-elect Donald Trump’s policies derailing the current administration’s green energy push.
President Joe Biden implemented a tax credit of up to $7,500 to incentivize the purchase of greener vehicles, but Trump is reportedly planning to ax the tax credit when he assumes office, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Newsom, in a statement Monday, revealed that he will offer the same EV rebate for Californians in the case that Trump gets rid of the credit.
“Consumers continue to prove the skeptics wrong – zero-emission vehicles are here to stay,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California. We’re not turning back on a clean transportation future — we’re going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don’t pollute,” the governor added.
The Golden State EV credits would be funded by a relaunch of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, the state’s electric car incentive program that closed in November 2023, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
The announcement comes just one week ahead of Newsom’s emergency special session that he called after the election to bolster the blue state’s legal response to any future attacks from the incoming Trump administration.
However, Newsom has a long history of hitting back against Trump’s policies, having launched more than 100 lawsuits against the president-elect during his first administration alone.
