SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to meet with the Biden administration this week to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief — issues that have been targeted in the past by President-elect Donald Trump.
The Democratic governor leaves for Washington on Monday and will return home on Wednesday, his office said. Newsom will also meet with California’s congressional delegation.
He is seeking federal approval for the state’s climate rules, a $5.2 billion reimbursement for emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and updates to the state’s Medicaid program, along with other priorities.
The trip comes days after Newsom called on state lawmakers to call a special session in December to protect California’s liberal policies ahead of Trump’s return in January.
California won most of the Trump administration’s legal challenges over the state’s environmental and other progressive policies during the Republican’s first term, said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California San Diego.
“The question is: Has Donald Trump changed the legal playing field so much through court appointments during his first term that he will be able to win on policy in his second term?” he said.
As president, Trump appointed more than 230 federal judges, including three justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California’s ability to enforce its own tailpipe emissions standards. President Joe Biden later restored state authority, which was upheld by the federal court.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency typically sets standards for emissions from passenger cars, trucks and other vehicles, but California has historically been given waivers to impose its own, stricter standards.
California has eight climate regulations awaiting waivers from the EPA. They include measures to require all new cars sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035, switching away from diesel-powered trains and updating pollutant emission standards from heavy vehicles.
Gil Cisneros, who was elected to represent Los Angeles County in the U.S. House of Representatives, said in an email that his fellow Democrats have a responsibility to protect important policies even if Republicans retain control of the House.
“If Donald Trump follows through on promises like abolishing the Affordable Care Act, mass deportations and raising tariffs, it is up to us to communicate with the American people and convince them how his policies will hurt the economy and their wallets.” , Cisneros said. .
Trump convincingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California prosecutor, in the race for the nation’s top job. Newsom has become an enemy of Trump over the years, and he was a prominent advocate for Biden’s campaign — and then Harris’.
___
Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.
___
Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna
