“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car.’”
Following his signing of a "Freedom to Fix" presidential memo directed to the Environmental Protection Agency, President Trump announced on Friday that he has signed pardons for six people who had been "persecuted" by the Biden administration for "fixing their car."
"It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for 'fixing their car.' While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact, and part of the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure during four long years of Sleepy Joe Biden. I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!"
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2073126630763975161?s=20
Trump signed a memo on Monday titled "Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix," that, among other provisions, directs the EPA to consider deprioritizing civil enforcement actions against those who "in good faith" attempt to fix their own vehicles to their original configuration.
The memo directs the Administrator of the EPA to issue guidance on what actions a person can take regarding repairing their vehicles’ emissions systems, and 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."
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."
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
