'Freedom to fix': Trump signs memo to give Americans power to repair their own cars

President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Monday, titled "Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix," that aims to lower costs for Americans who repair their vehicles’ emissions systems using aftermarket parts. 

The memo directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to issue guidance on what actions a person can take regarding repairing their vehicles’ emissions systems, and directs the Administrator to consider deprioritizing civil enforcement actions against those who "in good faith" attempt to fix their own vehicles to their original configuration, per a White House fact sheet. 

Additionally, the memo directs the EPA administrator to expedite alternative certification pathways for aftermarket parts, reducing the reliance on the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which has been the only certification process for aftermarket parts recognized under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The memo stated, "Obtaining a CARB Executive Order certifying that a part does not increase vehicle emissions takes increasingly long — now well over a year — even when an applicant has all of the paperwork and testing in order.  It is increasingly costly, and it effectively hands the determination of Federal compliance over to the State of California.  Further, because it is the only currently available and accepted certification process, the certification of parts is bottlenecked at CARB, driving up costs and limiting the supply of compliant parts."

"To further ensure vehicle affordability, it is the policy of my Administration that consumers should be able to fix their vehicles with affordable parts without being deemed to have circumvented emissions controls," the memo added. 

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, "it came to my attention because I noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car. They were arresting people for fixing — that’s not even believable."

He said it’s "common sense," adding that "some of these people are better mechanics than the mechanics in the shop. They’re telling the mechanic in the shop how to fix their car or their truck." 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said, "We are not going to be going after people who are fixing their own vehicle, like other administrations have." He said the administration is going to "break that monopoly" that CARB has on the certification process."