July 26, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement reacting to the announcement by Ford, Volkswagen, BMW and Honda to accede to California’s usurpation of federal fuel standards authority:
“The announced agreement between four major automakers and the state of California to meet state-based fuel economy standards calls into question whether those four automakers are engaged in cartel like behavior that might fall under the nation’s antitrust laws. The Department of Justice is strongly encouraged to evaluate whether this agreement violates either antitrust laws or the interstate commerce clause. It is predictable that social justice warriors will use this agreement to pressure other automakers to surrender to California’s demands that are designed to usurp the federal government’s constitutional authority to regulate commerce. California already has incredible influence on the federal government given the Electoral College and the fact Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House are both from the Golden State. It is absurd that the Governor of California seems to believe that he can dictate rules to the other 49 states based sheerly on population. It’s time for the federal government to stand up to California’s tyranny by exploring every option under the law to overcome this obvious usurpation of federal authority.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org
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