WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted largely along party lines Friday to adopt a bill that would overturn a key Biden administration rule on tailpipe emissions from new vehicles amid a campaign season battle over electric cars.

The Michigan House delegation voted along party lines, and the measure now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The move was months in the making, with congressional Republicans objecting to the regulations since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized them in March. The measure was led by Republican U.S. Rep. John James of Michigan, who criticized what he called a "government takeover of our American automotive industry."

"Nobody here is against battery electric vehicles, but we are against telling the American people what they can do with their money and when they can do it," James said during Friday's floor debate.

"This mandate will cripple the trucking and shipping industries and drive up costs. ... Biden's extreme EV agenda threatens 77,000 manufacturing jobs in my district alone, the No. 1 manufacturing district in the nation. This is not just bad policy for Michigan. It's bad for the country."

House Democrats argued that, contrary to what GOP lawmakers claimed, the measure would actually make it harder for the U.S. to compete with China and could prompt automakers to pull back on investments in manufacturing for battery and vehicle parts in communities around the country. They also heralded the health benefits of the rule that would cut down on harmful air pollutants.

"Rolling back this rule is bending a knee to big polluters while ignoring the broad coalition of autoworkers, automakers, public health advocates and environmental organizations who believe in addressing climate change head on while furthering innovation in transportation," said Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Michigan, during the debate.

"This is not a mandate. It's an opportunity to innovate for families, for farmers and to get out there and to keep China from eating our lunch."

The resolution, which passed by a vote of 215 to 191, is unlikely to become law given Democrats’ control of the U.S. Senate and White House. Eight House Democrats supported the bill.

President Joe Biden's administration on Friday issued a statement saying that if the measure reaches his desk he would veto it.

The resolution "would generate uncertainty for the U.S. auto market and supply chains, creating risk for the more than 250,000 auto jobs added and the more than $177 billion of private sector investment in the industry announced since 2021," the White House statement reads. "Passage of H.J. Res. 136 would also artificially constrain consumer vehicle choice, weaken U.S. manufacturing and energy security, and harm public health."

The effort by James and his colleagues is emblematic of the GOP’s strong opposition to policies from the Biden administration that they deem an “EV mandate.” That phrase has become a rallying cry for Republicans in Michigan — including presidential nominee Donald Trump — as they try to frame Democratic support for the emerging technology as harmful to the auto industry, personal consumer freedom and even national security.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' campaign has said she "does not support an electric vehicle mandate." The campaign has also, however, affirmed a goal by the current administration for EVs to make up half of new vehicle sales by 2030, which matches a goal in the official party platform for Democrats this year.

The EPA rule does not require automakers to produce any particular type of vehicle to meet new standards, though compliance would likely be impossible without a significant increase in EV sales by 2032.

The agency has projected that even with relatively low EV adoption by then, about 35% of new vehicles sold would need to be ones with fully electric powertrains.

The rule phases in between 2027 and 2032.

Democrats have supported the regulation as an environmental win that pushes U.S. automakers to keep pace with competitors amid a global, industrywide push to sell more hybrids and EVs. That push has been prompted by countries working to hit greenhouse gas emissions targets and prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

Democrats on Friday emphasized that the transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution and also a major emitter of other dangerous pollutants. Rep. Raul Ruiz, a Democrat, said his car-heavy Southern California district consistently ranks among the worst for air quality in the nation and that 27% of kids there suffer from asthma, with some of the highest asthma-related hospitalizations in California.

"This is not just an issue in my district. This is an issue in your district, in all of our districts," Ruiz said on the floor. "Across the United States, air pollution is responsible for over 100,000 premature deaths each year, and results in billions in health care costs."

GOP lawmakers said the new rules would benefit China, which is currently the world leader across the EV supply chain, including critical minerals mining and processing, battery manufacturing and finished vehicle production.

"This executive overreach would also essentially hand China the keys to our automotive future as around 90% of the EV supply chain in aggregate is controlled by China," Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, said during Friday's debate. "Instead of implementing unrealistic emission standards that effectively mandate EVs, we should be pursuing policies that promote innovation and preserve U.S. manufacturing."

James has also called out the Biden administration's rollout of federal funding for EV charging infrastructure and criticized the relative unaffordability of EVs compared to gas-powered ones.

Trump, during an event in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday, also invoked China in suggesting the U.S. abandon its EV push. He said that China is "going to dominate" EVs and would take over "all of your business."

“Why are we making a product that they dominate?" Trump said to a crowd inside the Dort Financial Center. "You will not have a car industry left, not even a little bit of a car industry."

The former president has vowed to eliminate the tailpipe emissions standard if elected in November, though the rule was finalized early enough in 2024 that he wouldn't be able to do so immediately.

The Biden administration has acknowledged China's dominance while remaining committed to forging ahead with EVs. It has pointed to its legislative agenda, which it calls the Investing in America agenda, as key to helping the U.S. catch up.

That includes a Friday announcement of $3 billion to support domestic battery manufacturing — including $355 million for four projects in Michigan.

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