JUST IN: Trump Takes Major Action Against EVs

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to revoke Biden-era electric vehicle (EV) initiatives—and on day one, he delivered.

On January 20, Trump officially scrapped a 2021 order from President Biden that aimed for half of all new cars to be electric by 2030. “With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers,” Trump declared, emphasizing his commitment to traditional manufacturing and American jobs.

Now, his administration has since taken another significant step by halting a $5 billion program designed to build EV charging stations nationwide. A memo issued Thursday by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that “the new leadership of the Department of Transportation has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program.”

Effective immediately, states are prohibited from initiating new EV projects until Trump-approved guidelines and plans are in place. However, existing projects will not be disrupted—reimbursements for ongoing contracts will continue to honor current obligations.

In case you’re unfamiliar, the NEVI program was introduced under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to create a national network of EV chargers. Biden’s plan provided federal funding to cover up to 80% of eligible costs, including the purchase, installation, and maintenance of chargers. The initiative aimed to alleviate “range anxiety” and encourage widespread EV adoption.

As of 2025, however, none of those chargers have been built, and the program has become a symbol of the kind of government waste and ineffectiveness that Trump has long criticized. His administration argues that consumer demand, not federal mandates, should drive EV growth. Supporters of the freeze view it as a way to safeguard taxpayer dollars and shield the auto industry from unnecessary government interference.

Environmental advocates, on the other hand, strongly oppose Trump’s decision. They argue that transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S., and building EV infrastructure is essential to achieving climate goals. Without federal support, they claim, the country risks falling behind in the global transition to clean energy.

Legal experts sympathetic to environmentalist causes suggest that Trump’s memo may face legal challenges. Federal funding programs often require congressional involvement for significant changes, meaning a full rollback of the NEVI program could encounter legal obstacles. For now, the FHWA has taken definitive action, even removing NEVI-related resources from its website, according to Politico.

Both critics and supporters will be watching closely to see if this freeze is a temporary pause or a permanent shift in policy. For Trump, it signals his determination to fulfill campaign promises centered on American workers, energy independence, and traditional auto manufacturing.

The long-term impact remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though: President Donald Trump isn’t wasting any time shaking up Washington in his return to the White House.