President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have engaged in a heated back-and-forth in recent days over the latter's response to anti-ICE rioting in Los Angeles, but that is not the only realm in which the White House is taking a stand against a key Golden State priority.

As Reuters reports, Trump on Thursday was poised to end California's ability to effectively dictate nationwide vehicle emissions standards and to nix the state's electric vehicle sales mandate, dealing a significant blow to Newsom and his green agenda.

Mandate scuttled

Trump planned to sign a trio of congressional resolutions designed to scuttle California's ban on gas-powered car sales, set to take substantial effect by 2035.

Among the resolutions poised for Trump's signature effectuated the repeal of a Biden-era U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waiver pursuant to the Clean Air Act that facilitated the California mandate that would have required at least 80% of new cars to be electric within ten years.

The president's signature will also have the effect of thwarting California's ability to set stricter emissions standards not just for passenger cars, but also for commercial trucks and heavy-duty diesel engines, as Politico noted.

Lawmakers utilized the Congressional Review Act -- a legislative maneuver available in the early months of a new presidential term -- to undo the Biden-era actions, narrowly meeting the deadline to get the job done.

In pushing for this result last month, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) declared that the waivers gave California the ability to “dictate emissions standards for the whole country -- effectively imposing a nationwide electric vehicle mandate,” and notably, when it came to time to vote, the Republican side was joined by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) who acknowledged what she said was her “special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.”

Outcome lauded by GOP

In an op-ed written for Fox News, Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) praised the outcome, stating, “The Clean Air Act was never intended to effectively give one state the power to dictate emissions standards for entire industries across the country.”

They went on, “Congress prohibited states from establishing separate vehicle and engine regulations except under 'compelling and extraordinary conditions' that apply specifically to that state.”

“National rules should be set by the people's elected representatives, not by unelected regulators or one state's agenda,” Braun and Yakym added.

The governor and congressmen concluded, “Ending this EPA-California backroom deal will protect American jobs, unlock our full manufacturing potential, and ensure the shift to electric vehicles is driven by innovation and consumer choice, not bureaucrats in Washington or Los Angeles.”

Also weighing in from a slightly different perspective was John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, who said, “The fact is that these EV sales mandates were never achievable. In reality, meeting the mandates would require diverting finite capital from the EV transition to purchase compliance credits from Tesla.”

What comes next?

Unsurprisingly, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already vowed to litigate the matter of his state's EPA waivers, stating that he would take action “to protect California's longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards.”

Bonta went on to state, “President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good paying jobs on the line -- but California won't back down,” though, as Americans fully understand, neither will the commander in chief.