John James
Representative for Michigan · Republican · United States
“More than 50 years later, his son stands before the United States House of Representatives to continue the fight against harmful regulations and misguided rules that put thousands upon thousands of livelihoods at risk. This Biden rule is not just bad policy, Mr. Speaker.”
“These are the types of things that happen in the real world, and common sense applies in other areas outside of California. In Michigan, we are not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it.”
“I wonder if they just appear out of thin air, or maybe the trucks that carry these things will actually just get there on unicorn tears, hopes, and dreams. That doesn't happen. We actually need trucks to get our lifesaving drug medications to the pharmacies at lower costs. Mr.”
“This Biden-era waiver allows California to ram its comply-or-die, zero-emission truck rule down the throat of the American trucking industry, essentially gutting the trucking industry all across Michigan and across the country.”
“They intend to set unworkable emission standards that will cripple our supply chains and make it impossible for tens of thousands of trucking companies to do business because they are unwieldy and inconvenient. This policy is unsustainable, unrealistic, and a job killer. Most importantly, it will end lives.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairmen Guthrie, Congressman Griffith, and their staff for their professionalism, especially on moving this important measure forward. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.J. Res. 87, my resolution of disapproval to overturn the Biden administration's California Advanced Clean Trucks rule. Mr.”
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“They intend to set unworkable emission standards that will cripple our supply chains and make it impossible for tens of thousands of trucking companies to do business because they are unwieldy and inconvenient. This policy is unsustainable, unrealistic, and a job killer. Most importantly, it will end lives. Telling the Michigan trucking industry and all other industries that they are willing to move forward with this policy is unacceptable. Today, the House of Representatives will send a resounding ``no'' to the radical left and a resounding ``yes'' to the middle class, to our job creators, to our employers, and to our truckers who keep America running. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do simple math, use common sense, and put this Biden-era California waiver to bed once and for all.”
“This Biden-era waiver allows California to ram its comply-or-die, zero-emission truck rule down the throat of the American trucking industry, essentially gutting the trucking industry all across Michigan and across the country. It is a Green New Deal mandate that will crush our trucking industry and drive costs up on everything and increase deaths on our highways. Those are facts. This policy, if left unchecked, would mandate truck manufacturers only sell expensive, less reliable, zero-emission trucks, no exceptions, no choice. This is going to increase the number of trucks required, which is going to increase the cost of everything from gas to groceries. The death of the American trucking industry is not just an unintended consequence of this radical California policy. Mr. Speaker, it is the goal.”
“More than 50 years later, his son stands before the United States House of Representatives to continue the fight against harmful regulations and misguided rules that put thousands upon thousands of livelihoods at risk. This Biden rule is not just bad policy, Mr. Speaker. It is the scam of the decade to put California's failed EV policies in charge of the entire trucking industry in Michigan and the United States. Does anyone in this Chamber actually believe that this is the United States of California? Perhaps Californians do, but in Michigan we do not want to be dictated by Sacramento. There are about 49 other States that would agree. Gavin Newsom may be content with being the number one State for declining population, losing nearly 1.2 million Californians from 2020 to 2023. Mr. Speaker, I assure you that I am not.”
“These are the types of things that happen in the real world, and common sense applies in other areas outside of California. In Michigan, we are not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it. America called on us during two World Wars and a global pandemic, and my legislation ensures Michigan stands ready to answer the call once again. My family is no stranger to how important the trucking industry is. My father started a trucking business with one truck, one trailer, and no excuses. Then a generation later, I started a trucking company during the COVID pandemic. He grew up in the Jim Crow South and moved to Michigan in search of opportunity and for the American Dream. Tooth and nail, he fought harmful regulations and misguided rules that would have prevented his company from ever getting off the ground.”
“I wonder how many American lives they would sacrifice on the altar of their Green New Deal initiatives. How do we pay for these roads, Mr. Speaker? We pay for these roads with gas taxes, and the gas taxes that these gas trucks would not be paying would take directly from the funds that we need to build our roads all across the country. In addition to air pollution, Republicans care about clean air. We care about clean water. We also care about common sense. Maybe in California they can plug their trucks into a tree, but in the rest of the country we are relying on an energy grid that is still at least half reliant on an all-of-the-above approach where we have economic, reliant energy and we are still including things like natural gas and coal.”
“I wonder if they just appear out of thin air, or maybe the trucks that carry these things will actually just get there on unicorn tears, hopes, and dreams. That doesn't happen. We actually need trucks to get our lifesaving drug medications to the pharmacies at lower costs. Mr. Speaker, if you increase the number of trucks required because you increase the payload capacity, you are going to actually do more harm than good. Let's talk about infrastructure. Apparently, my colleagues think we are doing nothing to address infrastructure when literally their plan will contribute directly to crumbling infrastructure due to the heavy weight of these trucks. They could also crash into barriers, which would endanger lives. This would make sure the number of around 45,000 fatalities in this country would increase.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairmen Guthrie, Congressman Griffith, and their staff for their professionalism, especially on moving this important measure forward. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.J. Res. 87, my resolution of disapproval to overturn the Biden administration's California Advanced Clean Trucks rule. Mr. Chairman, I am kind of disappointed but not surprised at my colleagues' lack of understanding for exactly what we are trying to do here. I would expect bad-faith negotiations here and elsewhere. Let me highlight a couple of points that we have heard over the recent few minutes. Let's talk about lowering prescription drug costs. I wonder what my colleagues think about our truck drivers and how their lifesaving drugs get to their constituents.”
“Resilient global supply chains are the cornerstone of American innovation and leadership, and we must take clear and decisive action in the global competition. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025.”
“It is ludicrous and absurd, a clear wake-up call that we would be foolish not to heed. To achieve a strong, resilient supply chain, we must have a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that decreases our dependence on adversaries and leverages American ingenuity. It is crucial for our economic and national security. Promoting resilient supply chains is a step in the right direction. This legislation specifically will create a supply chain resiliency program to identify and address gaps in critical industries and emerging technologies, establish an early warning system to predict and prevent supply chain disruption, and reduce dependence on adversarial nations by incentivizing domestic manufacturing.”
“In today's world, supply chains are no longer just about cheaper prices at Meijer or Wal-Mart, they are vital to America's national security interests, as well. Mr. Speaker, we must do everything in our power to ensure that our Nation's supply chain is resilient, shock resistant, and protected from nefarious foreign adversaries; this includes the Chinese Communist Party. The threat from China is real, and the time to act is now. During COVID, we witnessed the risks of depending on a hostile supply chain with shortages in medicine, PPE, ventilators, and critical healthcare supplies when they forced us to rely on our adversaries for these lifesaving resources. I will say that again. During a pandemic caused by a Chinese-made virus, the American people were forced to depend on the CCP for lifesaving supplies. That will never happen again.”
“Speaker, this is exactly how Congress is supposed to work, and I am very proud of my bill. No matter how you slice it and no matter what industry, there is not a single American who isn't impacted by supply chains. In Michigan's 10th Congressional District, supply chains are the equivalent of rocket fuel, providing the firepower for the number one manufacturing district in the entire country to power Michigan's local and State economy. Having strong, reliable supply chains is essential to ensuring that every American can get the food, fuel, medication, and every other consumer good that they desire. This bipartisan bill is about bringing jobs back home and lowering costs for hardworking families.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025. I especially thank my chairman, friend, and mentor, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), for his leadership and support. I also thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), who has been a mentor to me on the ways of D.C. and bipartisanship. The gentlewoman has been a family friend for such a long time. I also have the pleasure of sharing the opportunity on this bill with Erin Houchin, my classmate; Robin Kelly; and Pat Ryan, my West Point classmate. This is an example of Congress coming together, reaching across the aisle, and working in the best interests of the American people. There are so many more instances of this type of bipartisanship than what may be seen on the news. Yet, Mr.”