Trump: ‘Era of economic surrender for United States is over’

President Donald Trump told automobile manufacturing executives, union leaders, and workers Wednesday that he would be directing the EPA and NHTSA to return emission standards to reasonable levels while speaking at the American Center for Mobility.

“Just days before my administration took office, the EPA cut short a mid-term review,” President Trump said in his speech. “Today, I am announcing that we are going to cancel that executive action. We are going to restore the originally scheduled midterm review.”

“President Donald J. Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are reinstating the Midterm Evaluation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) standards for the automotive industry,” a statement issued by the White House said.

The changes could reverse an EPA estimated $250 billion in additional manufacturing costs that would be passed on to consumers putting the cost of a new car out of reach for many working families.

The Association of Global Automakers came out in support of the president’s move.

“We welcome the Trump Administration’s decision to return the greenhouse gas standards’ midterm evaluation back to the process that was agreed to in 2012. We look forward to working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Air Resources Board on a review of the standards that is data driven and accounts for the needs of American consumers without locking in a prejudged outcome.”

Trump also reiterated his position on trade.

“Buy American and hire American. It’s not just a motto, it’s a pledge,” Trump said. “The era of economic surrender for the United States is over.”